


I'm Glad You Exist

by Ulquiokiara



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, bechloe - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-11
Updated: 2015-11-29
Packaged: 2018-05-01 04:56:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 78,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5193122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ulquiokiara/pseuds/Ulquiokiara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bechloe. AU. Beca meets Chloe at her new job. Feeling isolated in a big city full of nameless faces, the two of them float along their lives hoping to find something more. Neither thought they would find it sitting next to them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Fic was completed on FF.net and uploaded here. I am working on an epilogue right now that is nearly finished.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> My tumblr is the same as my username.

**Monday - April 4th**

The cubicle was a gaudy baby blue, one of twenty-five on this floor. Inside, there was a rectangular wooden desk with a semi-circle cut out of it for two people to sit. The desk had two computers on it, beige boxes at best. The chairs were standard black office roller chairs. This would be her workstation for the foreseeable future.

It wasn’t as bad as she was expecting. It was next to a window so there was plenty of sunlight coming in. The people in the other cubicles seemed to be happy, at least outwardly. The place hadn’t crushed the spirits of those working there unlike her previous job.

The advertising company, Pitch Perfect, had just let go of several employees in the creative department. It needed to replace these employees quickly and finding talent from within the company had seemed like the best idea. The financial department and the sales department had an abundance of employees and she was one of the people promoted to creative. She didn’t mind though, she was being paid more and knew she would be good for the job.

Standing in her black blazer and pencil skirt combo with a poorly ironed white shirt, the thing that made her anxious wasn’t the job. It was the redhead sitting in one of the roller chairs in the cubicle. Beca wasn’t fond of working with others. It wasn’t that she didn’t like interacting with people, she was just incredibly bad at it. She tended to get on people’s nerves with her sarcasm and lack of communication. The financial department didn’t require her to voice her ideas, not that she needed to have any ideas in the first place.

Tentatively taking her seat next to the other girl, she put her ‘amazing’ communication skills into action.

“Hi, I’m Beca. I think I’m your partner,” she said, surprised that she managed to put some enthusiasm behind it. Putting on her best smile, she tried to make a good first impression. By now, the redhead had turned to face her and she was greeted to a bright smile much like her own.

“I’m Chloe. I think you’re my partner too,” she said with a wink, the smile still beaming into her. The newly introduced Chloe was dressed in a grey pencil skirt much like Beca’s that reached just below her knees. Combined with the skirt was a bright white shirt with a pink blazer.

Beca was pulled out of her observations when the other girl grabbed both her hands and gave them a squeeze. She was looking right into the brunette’s eyes and Beca was astounded by how blue they were. Chloe let out a giggle.

“I’m really excited about this.”

The two began discussing what they were going to be doing as part of their job. They were creating advertising campaigns for a variety of products. A lot of ideas were tossed back and forth during the hour.

From her first impressions, Chloe seemed great. She was bubbly, smiled a lot and wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. She would describe her ideas by using elaborate hand gestures or doodling in a sketch pad. One idea got her so excited that she ended up knocking over her yellow cup of pens.

Beca, on the other hand, was cold and hesitant to share her ideas. She hated it. This working as a team thing was never one of her strong suits and she was paired up with someone who seemed to be great at it. It wasn’t that she hated Chloe, she was far too nice for anyone to hate. The problem was that Chloe was going to be disappointed when she realizes that the person she is working with can’t interact with others properly.

The brunette was becoming more and more fidgety as their discussion progressed. She couldn’t keep her hands still and her palms were becoming sweaty. The redhead seemed to power through the awkwardness which she appreciated greatly.

At one point, Beca managed to bump her head against the other girl quite violently. She sprung into a series of apologies while the redhead insisted that she was fine.

After an hour, it seemed even Chloe could not take it anymore and stood up and walked away from the cubicle. Beca smashed her head against the desk and cursed herself. She had made her partner run away on her first day. The introverted girl was clearly not mixing well with the bubbly, outgoing one.

Needing to clear her head before the redhead came back or HR came to take her away for being unable to function as a normal human, Beca pulled out her iPod. Music was a drowning tool for her. It drowned out her parents arguing before the divorce, it drowned out angry teachers and it drowned out bullies. It was an escape.

It also made it easier to forget that she was completely alone.

Her mother had passed away some years ago, the only person she really had any connection to. Her father had left home when she was thirteen and the few friends she made over the years hadn’t stuck around. She hadn’t made it easy by moving to a new city. Her previous job was mostly done in isolation so she wasn’t making friends there and she wasn’t someone who went outside often either. Two years here and no one would notice if she disappeared.

It was probably for the best that she didn’t have many chances to make friends as the display today showed she isn’t capable. It was confusing because she could be considered confident in a lot of situations. She wasn’t afraid of public speaking and she did amazing when interviewed.

Her depressing train of thought was interrupted by a body moving into the chair next to her. She then noticed two cups being placed on the desk, the steam indicating the contents were hot. Turning towards the owner, she was met with the Chloe. The girl was smiling again.

The bubbly girl reached over and took Beca’s earbuds out. She then took one of the cups and handed it to her.

“I got us some tea. You seemed really nervous and tea always helps me with that,” she said. Beca was surprised that she even returned at all.

“Thank you. Sorry about that. I don’t usually work in a team. Didn’t expect to be this much of a mess though.”

Chloe took Beca’s free hand into her own.

“Just be yourself Beca. You don’t have to be nervous around me, I’m not going to judge you. You’ve probably been so worried that you haven’t even noticed we’ve made great progress despite it being our first time on the job.”

Racking through her memory of the last hour, Beca was surprised to realize that she did contribute a fair amount to the work, albeit in a mumbling unsure way.

“You’re already a great partner Beca. I know you’re going to make a great friend as well.”

The next action surprised the brunette. Chloe placed her tea back on the table and pulled Beca in for a hug. It apparently wasn’t going to be a quick one either. This seemed to be a warm embrace. The shorter girl was pulled in close against the redhead who didn’t seem to be letting go anytime soon.

“I find the best way to deal with awkwardness is to acknowledge it openly. So let’s be awkward for a bit. The longer this hug goes on for, the more awkward it will be,” Chloe said with a giggle.

Beca couldn’t suppress the laugh in her throat. She had hoped that the other girl would brush aside the problem until the brunette became comfortable. It was the best she thought she was going to get after her behaviour today. Chloe had gone out of her way to welcome her. She wasn’t just happy upbeat type, she genuinely seemed to care.

Weirdly, the hug wasn’t awkward at all. Chloe had gone all out on the embrace as they were pressed together very tightly. The redhead was comfortably warm and when she spoke, the movement of her chest and the sound passing past Beca’s ear were strangely pleasant.

“In a few seconds, you should try and break the hug but I’ll keep holding on to maximise the awkwardness,” Chloe joked. Beca, in an act that even surprised her, made her grasp on the taller girl slightly firmer. This elicited a delightful laugh from her.

“Thank you.” Beca wished to say it normally but it came out as a whisper.

“Don’t thank me. This was all just an excuse to hug my adorable little partner.”

Following the very direct talk about the problem, Beca became far more relaxed. Now that she was aware of things other than her behaviour, she was pleasantly surprised by how well the two worked together. Both were creative in their own way and their styles complimented each other. Chloe was like a big child with outlandish ideas that she had to reign in. It warmed her heart to see someone so passionate for a job that some would consider to be the devil’s work.

Just after noon, the redhead insisted that they have lunch together and dragged Beca to a diner nearby. The twenty-four year old had no real say in the matter as Chloe had stood up at half twelve on the dot and started pulling her into the elevator. During lunch, the pair talked about their previous work in the company. Chloe had come from the sales department and hadn’t enjoyed it that much. She had taken the first opportunity out of it and was thrilled to be working on what she considered to be a far more interesting job. Her real passion was writing but wasn’t confident enough to present it to anyone. Beca could relate.

As the rest of the day progressed, the real girl behind the nervous brunette began to appear. Her sarcasm was the first to come back. Chloe was initially taken aback by it which worried Beca. Usually, people didn’t like it but her fears were allayed when Chloe returned her sarcastic comments right back at her.

As she bid goodbye to Chloe for the day, she was surprised that her heart was beating at a steady rate and she was smiling. After a rough start, the day had gone smoothly and she was surprised by how much she enjoyed it. Telling Chloe that it was all because of her would be a little weird so she decided to keep that to herself.

* * *

**Tuesday - April 5th**

Beca Mitchell’s eyes were wondrous. Drops of blue highlighted by the darker makeup around them. There was something magical about them. When Chloe had looked into them yesterday, they had conveyed the brunette’s fear quite clearly. She hadn’t been completely lying when she said she did it all for a hug. Every time Beca had made eye contact with her, Chloe had wanted to wrap her arms around her and tell her not to be so nervous. She was like a newborn doe, learning to walk.

Today, she got to see something different in those eyes. Chloe had arrived late and found Beca with her head against the desk, writing on a notepad. There were two cups of hot liquid next to her. She seemed oblivious to the world around her. It was also a strange way to write. With her head against the desk, there was no way for her to see what she was writing and yet the symbols on the page were appearing in a perfect line. They were symbols specifically and not words.

Musical notation.

Beca’s eyes did not show fear but there seemed to be activity to them. They were focused on the pencil in her hand, watching its movement. The concentration required to write in such a way had made her open them wider. Chloe’s eyes were blue as well but not in the same way. Her eyes conveyed her happiness. What she saw in the shorter girl’s eyes was a hint of sadness. They were the most beautiful she had ever seen, albeit in a depressing, almost heartbreaking way.

Taking a seat and making her presence known, Chloe looked to see what Beca had been writing. The musical notes were preceded by words. They looked like lyrics. Apparently they were for Beca’s eyes only as she quickly closed her notebook and sat up straight.

There was a big smile on her face. She pushed one of the cups next to Chloe.

“I got us coffee. I wanted to return the favour and thank you for being so understanding yesterday,” She said.

“Thank you, Beca,” Chloe beamed.

Before Beca could stop her, the redhead took a big gulp of the drink. The change in the face was almost immediate as she realized her mistake. The scalding hot coffee in her mouth either needed to go down her throat, doing more damage to her or she would need to spit it out.

A second later, the contents of her mouth were scattered all over the desk, keyboard and computer monitor. Luckily, none of it landed on Beca, who had stood up and was running to the office kitchen.

She returned with a glass of water.

“Soo.... The coffee was hot,” Beca stated, a smirk creeping onto her face. The pout from the other girl indicated that she wasn’t amused.

* * *

After cleanup, the duo began working again. After a strange start to the day, there was little that could go wrong. Beca concluded that her attempts to thank Chloe had gone well if looked at in a certain light and that was good enough for her. Everything was fine for a whole ten minutes before she started noting that there was something weird about Chloe’s behaviour. Specifically her coffee.

Glancing to the side when the older girl took a sip of her drink, she could see that the redhead was wincing as the coffee entered her mouth. Swallowing also seemed to be a difficulty. It couldn’t have been the scalding as Beca had been rather quick with the cold water. Chloe’s coffee cup was also mostly full, even after the previous explosion while Beca’s sat empty.

Figuring out what was going out, Beca decided to see if the other girl would come clean herself.

“Chloe?”

“Hmm.”

“Is something wrong?” Beca questioned. Chloe turned at this moment and wondered what she was referring to.

“I don’t think so.” Clearly a lie. It was time to see how long she was willing to keep it up.

“Well, it looks like your coffee's getting cold. You might want to drink it before it goes bad.” Beca then looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to drink it. “Go on.”

Chloe picked up the cup and slowly raised it to her mouth and starting gulping down the liquid, unable to hide her displeasure. She had managed to drink about a quarter of the cup before she had to come up for air. She visibly steeled herself before placing her mouth on the cup once again.

“Chloe stop!”

Beca waited. The forced smile from the taller girl was different from the genuine ones she had received yesterday.

“Why didn’t you tell me you didn’t like coffee?” Beca enquired.

“I do like coffee.” Apparently she was going to continue with the lie. Her attempts to drink from the cup again are quickly intercepted. Beca needed a new plan to get her to admit it.

“Well then, let me get you another. You spat out most of it and it’s gotten cold. I wouldn’t want you to drink sub par coffee,” she said sarcastically. Slowly getting out her seat, she made exaggerated motions towards the office coffee machine.

She made it three steps.

“Ok fine!” Beca grinned to herself for a moment before turning around to feign ignorance.

“What seems to be the problem, Chloe?”

“I don’t like coffee.” she stated simply.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

A blush appeared on her cheek. Strange. The lack of eye contact and general anxiousness indicated that she was possibly feeling guilty.

“You were trying to do something nice for me and I didn’t want to say I didn’t like coffee because it would make me seem ungrateful.”

Beca was stunned. Apparently this girl was so nice she was willing to do something that looked like it was making her gag. Despite it being a stupid thing to do, it made Beca like the girl more, to know that she had her own insecurities. It was endearing.

“So not only did you burn your mouth but also continued to subject yourself to displeasure all because you didn’t want to hurt my feelings?”

Chloe nodded dumbly.

“That’s incredibly sweet,” Beca said, smiling. Chloe looked up at this point, making eye contact with her, smiling. The blush has intensified slightly.

“You said yesterday that you wanted me to be myself. I think that applies to you too. Although in your case, it’s referring to you being truthful about what you like to drink.”

This managed to make Chloe giggle. The brunette got up at this point and made her way out of the building.

* * *

Beca had gone somewhere, it gave the redhead time to catch up on the work the other girl had done up to that point. It also gave her time to contemplate on being caught red handed doing something that in retrospect, was very stupid. What would have been the worst thing that would have happened if she had told Beca she didn’t like Coffee? It’s not like she was going to freak out. That was not giving Beca enough credit.

In fact, she had surprised the older girl yesterday. Chloe had expected Beca to dislike her. People tended to find her overly enthusiastic nature and positive personality to be annoying. Beca seemed like a far more reserved person who Chloe was bound to infuriate. While working yesterday, despite Beca’s nervousness, it was clear that she was intently listening to Chloe and actually taking in what she was saying. After their talk, she even seemed to enjoy her company.

Beca returned moments later with tea.

There was something different about her from earlier. Specifically her eyes. The sadness that was there was less pronounced. Her smile seemed brighter and there was a confidence to her that wasn’t present yesterday. She was still reserved but seemed comfortable, almost serene.

When she handed the cup to Chloe, the brunette gave her another smile, her blue eyes looking straight at her. She was unsure as to why blood seemed to be rushing to her cheeks when Beca gave her that look. Her being unable to speak in that moment was also unexpected.

“Thank again for yesterday.”

* * *

**Wednesday - April 6th**

Beca didn’t like him. The guy in the grey suit who didn’t look too smart. The sort of guy who was at his current position because of daddy’s money. A ‘traditionally’ handsome sort with dark hair who was currently trying to put the moves on Chloe. Beca initially didn’t have a problem with him when he showed up earlier this morning and attempted to flirt with Chloe. It was almost sweet. Now, if her count was correct, was attempt number five and his reasons for needing to pass by their cubicle were becoming more and more dubious.

Chloe had effectively shut him down on his first attempt by telling him that she was in no way interested. This began the slow process of him pretending that he wasn’t asking her out but totally asking her out. Apparently this guy had nothing else to do all day but interrupt the two of them. It was far worse for Chloe than it was for her though, Beca only had to listen. She picked up that his name was Tom.

She wanted to do something. Chloe was becoming more and more agitated and looked uncomfortable with the whole situation. The problem was that the guy hadn’t done anything yet. He was just being pushy. He wasn’t the misguided nice guy type either, most of the time when he intruded on the pair, he would leer at the redhead. The shorter, more stilted responses from Chloe combined with all the dead air between them made her want to get away from the whole thing.

And the touching. Whatever chance this guy could get to touch Chloe was taken. Again, it started as something nonchalant but the frequency of the contact was starting to become worrisome. Touching her shoulder when looking over their work, not too strange. Touching her hair as he departs, a little creepy and most definitely unwelcome. Touching her face when he approved of their work, that was too far.

It got too much for her when he started asking Chloe for her phone number. Apparently it was for work. Beca suspected that this may not be the case because he made no attempts to ask for her number, let alone acknowledge that she was even there.

“Chloe, could you get the mockups from the printer?” This would give her an opportunity to talk to Tom alone. Chloe left immediately, giving a small wink to her for the save.

Tom looked like he was going to follow. Beca stood up to block his way.

“Could I talk to you for a second?” she asked, putting on her best fake smile.

“Uhm, sure.”

Beca looked behind her to make sure the redhead was out of earshot.

“Look, Chloe isn’t interested in you, I think you should stop whatever it is you're doing here, it’s not working.” She wanted to let him down easily, perhaps he hadn’t understood that Chloe was uninterested.

“Nah, she’s totally into me, dude. She’s just playing hard to get.” Nevermind. The probability that this guy is an asshole just increased.

“No she isn’t. She outright rejected your first attempt and has continued to avoid doing anything else you’ve suggested.”

He reduced the distance between the two so that he was now looking down at Beca. It seemed like an attempt to scare her.

“Why don’t you mind your own business?” He said quietly, his voice low. Definitely an asshole.

The thing about Beca was that despite her small size, she could be incredibly cold and intimidating when she needed to be. He tried to push past her, placing his hand on her shoulder to move her out of the way. Beca proceeded to grab his hand, stopping his motion.

“I’m not going to ask again. Back off.”

Another push was made against her shoulder, this time more forcefully. The surprise on his face when the brunette didn’t shift even slightly quickly changed to an expression of pain when Beca used the hand holding his arm to squeeze rather harshly while taking it off her shoulder. She was now making eye contact with him. Anger, the only emotion present.

“From now on, your relationship with Chloe will be strictly professional. If Chloe is even remotely interested in you, she will come to you.”

Beca was unaware that she could deliver a line with as much venom as she did then. The simple sentence held a threat within it and she wanted him to know. Her hands had balled into fists and there was a visible shake to them.

It seemed to have worked though. The place where her hand had gripped him had reddened. He seemed to have nothing to say. She must have dented his pride some as he looked like he contemplating pushing past her again.

“Am I understood?” Beca didn’t shout but her speaking volume increased, causing him to flinch.

“Are you aware that I am on the same level as your superiors? I could have you fired for this. Especially a new transfer to an already struggling department. A few words and you would be gone,” he said.

Beca grinned.

“So your plan is to go to my superiors, tell them you were harassing one of their employees before I stopped you and then they are going to fire me. Is that correct?”

It seemed like he had a response to that but Beca cut him off.

“Alright, let’s say I am fired. All I would need to do is go public with this story. Pitch Perfect isn’t in great shape currently and the last thing they want is a media shitstorm about treatment of their employees and their poor management. This followed by a lawsuit against you would mean the company would immediately distance themselves from you. Do you really think they are going to fight on your behalf on a case they have no chance of winning? You’re a nobody. At best, it will end in a settlement costing them more money. They will hang you to dry the moment they realize what actually happened.”

Tom said nothing, he was visibly angry but defeated.

“So I’ll ask again. Am I understood?”

She got her response when he walked away. It was satisfying.

* * *

“So I ran into Tom on the way back,” Chloe said

She had returned a few moments after the incident. She was much calmer now that Tom was no longer present.

“Cool”

Chloe looked at Beca skeptically. “Yeah, it was weird, I waved at him because it would be rude not to but he completely ignored me. I know he recognized me because he looked at me for a second before turning his head and looking in the other direction as he walked past.”

“That is weird,” she replied.

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, do you?”

Beca answered very nonchalantly. “Nope”. She never took her eyes off the monitor. Leaning back against her chair with one hand hanging off the side of it, she looked as casual as she possibly could. She looked way too casual, something Chloe picked up on.

“Well, you know, the walk to the printer isn’t that long so I came back pretty quickly. When I got close to our cubicle, I heard someone telling Tom to leave me alone. It sounded like a woman, a totally badass woman. I especially loved the bit where she told him what would happen if he got her fired.”

Beca turned to her at this point having been caught. She looked almost bashful which was in complete contrast to the confident, strong woman Chloe had secretly witnessed a minute ago. There seemed to be a blush forming on the brunette’s cheeks as well.

“Look I was just trying to help ok,” she replied defensively. It was adorable. The badass from earlier had disappeared.

Chloe reached for Beca’s hand that was on the table. She placed her hand on top of the brunette’s before giving it a small squeeze.

“Thank you Beca, it’s only the third day and you're willing to get fired for me.” She was truly grateful for what the other girl had done.

“It was nothing.” Her voice was much softer now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thursday - April 7th**

Chloe had not returned.

She had gone to collect some of the free cake in the office kitchen. That was ten minutes ago. The redhead wasn’t the type to ditch work.

Beca couldn’t continue without the her and had decided to browse the web. For completely work related reasons. Completely work related reasons. She needed to watch horrible acoustic covers of rap songs by white people for work.

It had become a sort of guilty pleasure for her to cringe at the horrible performances. She shouldn’t laugh, they were clearly talented people wasting their time on the wrong type of songs but it was endlessly entertaining.

By the third song, Chloe’s delay began to worry her. Deciding that a checkup was in order, she made her way to the kitchen. It was a short walk. Passing the other cubicles, she realized that she hadn’t really gotten to know any of the others. It wasn’t entirely her fault, not like any of them had approached either Chloe or her. The notable exception was Tom and the less said about that, the better. These cubicle based offices could be so isolating. She was lucky to have someone as friendly as the older girl.

The office kitchen was a small space with a blue hued faux granite counter stretching across the width of one side of the room. The other side contained a sink and a fridge. There were a few cupboards above the counter. It was a standard office kitchen, although a little unused as most people ate at the local restaurants.

Chloe was found fumbling with something. As Beca got closer, she could see that it was the coffee machine.

Chloe didn't like coffee.

“Hey,” the brunette announced herself.

She felt that the sudden jump and cover-up of the coffee machine by the other girl was unwarranted. Luckily, Chloe relaxed as soon as she realized it was Beca. “Oh, it’s just you.”

“That’s hurtful,” Beca joked. Chloe grinned.

She began to look around, like she was making sure there was no one around before moving away from the coffee machine. Beca began to see why the delay had been caused. On the kitchen counter was the coffee machine in its normal space, in four to five pieces, coffee grounds all over the counter.

“I kinda sorta knocked it over trying to reach behind it and it fell to the ground.” Chloe seemed to be panicking a little.

Beca considered it a fact that coffee machines don’t explode into bits when they hit the ground, especially considering the small drop.

“Anything else you want to tell me?"

Chloe’s expression was similar to when Beca had caught her about disliking coffee. “After the fall, I tried to put it back together and I ended up spilling the coffee by opening up this flap thing here which then broke off to make it even worse." The flap thing? The lid where you pour water into, designed to not break off when opening. "I pulled this handle thing on the side which came clean off and this soil-like stuff started dropping out of it,” she explained. The soil-like stuff was old coffee grounds which were scattered around the counter.

On closer inspection of the redhead’s hands, it was clear she had battled the machine and lost quite badly. There were trails of coffee running up her arm nearly reaching her elbows.

The brunette analysed the damage for a moment. It was still somewhat salvageable. “Start cleaning the coffee grounds and the spilled liquid, make sure they haven’t stained the counter in any way,” Beca instructed.

After a questioning look, the other girl did as she was told. Beca took the pieces of the machine and began to reassemble them. In truth, she had no idea what she was doing but having broken things that didn’t belong to her in the past, there was always a foolproof way of making sure she wasn’t blamed for it.

She placed the pieces in the positions they were originally in. It required a level of shoving and forcing to get the pieces to lock in place. Any internal pieces she couldn’t properly attach were thrown into any empty space inside.

Once she was done, the coffee machine looked untampered to anyone not paying too much attention. The handle was the only part she had managed to fit perfectly and that was all she needed to do anyway so she considered it a success. She finished her work by wiping down the surfaces to remove fingerprints.

By this time, Chloe had finished cleaning up the mess. It was time to come up with the redhead's alibi.

“Chloe.”

“Hmm?”

“You didn’t touch the coffee machine, do you understand me? You only came into the kitchen to get a piece of cake and left straight away. You don’t even like coffee so you wouldn’t be touching it anyway.”

The redhead gave her a second questioning look. “I’m not going to lie about this," she said firmly.

“This coffee machine costs close to $500 and I heard it was bought for the office by Luke.”

Luke was the boss. The name looked to give Chloe pause.

“I didn’t touch the coffee machine,” she stated.

Beca grinned. She led the other girl to the bathroom, helping her clean the remains of the coffee from her arms. Luckily it didn’t stain. Back at their desk, she requested the older girl’s perfume and sprayed both herself and the redhead. She took her empty cup of coffee and deposited it in the communal bin at the edge of the room.

* * *

Chloe was impressed to say the least. Beca was crafty. Usually, she would frown upon lying and would have come clean much earlier but breaking the boss’ coffee machine on your first week on the job would not have the best consequences. It was certainly not something she could afford to replace anytime soon. She did vow to buy another for the office once she had the cash, she wasn’t a crook.

Beca had come up with a plan within seconds of assessing the situation and gone about it in an extremely efficient way, almost as if she were a career criminal. She had effectively cleaned up a murder. A murder of an innocent coffee machine but a murder nonetheless. If the need ever arises for Chloe to end someone, she now knew who to call.

Her joy was short lived as the infamous Luke came to their desk not twenty minutes after the cover-up. He looked angry, steaming even.

Luke was a relatively tall man with blonde hair and a strong build. His accent indicated that he was from the UK. Currently, he was dressed in an expensive looking black suit combined with a purple tie. Chloe wasn’t overly fond of the guy. He seemed like a nice enough person until you broke one of his rules. Some were reasonable, like no fornication in the cubicles, something that apparently happened, but others were just unnecessary. Being angry about breaking a coffee machine was justified though.

“Miss Beale, Miss Mitchell. We need to chat,” he said sternly.

The confidence that Beca had been gaining over the past couple of days returned. It seemed to flare much more when she was confronted and Chloe got to see it from much closer this time.

“Sure, what about?” The brunette was rather calm and perhaps a little more casual than she was naturally but only the redhead could really see that. She had yet to even face their boss.

Unfortunately, it looked that Luke wasn’t buying it. He became a little more angered. “The coffee machine. Excuse me, MY coffee machine is broken. You don’t know anything about that?”

“Nope.” Beca was still looking at the computer screen, now typing.

He looked questioningly at Chloe who became immediately worried. The need for a cover story had not been discussed because she had assumed that the cover-up had been solid. Currently, nothing was coming to her mind. The words ‘It was me’ were flashing in her mind in bright neon. She only had to squirm for a brief second before Beca redirected the attention back to her.

The brunette looked rather annoyed by Luke. “Haven’t had any coffee all day and I certainly wouldn’t drink from a commercially available coffee machine. Gross. Some of us have standards. As for Chloe, she doesn’t even like Coffee,” Beca said.  More lying. Chloe knew that the brunette wasn’t someone who really cared all that much about what type of coffee she drank. It was just a shot of caffeine to jump-start her day.

Luke was still not fooled.

“Then how come I was told by another employee that you were both in the kitchen for a weirdly long amount of time?”

“We were getting cake,” the brunette answered simply.

"Was the machine broken when you went in there?"

Beca shrugged. "Couldn't say. Wasn't paying much attention to it."

Luke turned to back to the redhead. “Miss Beale? You haven’t said a word.”

Chloe wanted to come out with the truth. She didn’t feel right lying about this. Luke may not be her favourite person but she would probably be furious if someone had broken something she had invested significantly in. The guilt was already beginning to eat away at her. Glancing towards Beca, she was met with a signal from the brunette, her eyes had widened a little and were moving from side to side quickly. The other girl seemed to be telling her to keep her mouth shut.

“I was busy trying to steal Beca’s piece of cake so I didn’t see anything,” she said quickly, a nervous laugh threatened to come out. Looking at Beca, the small smile on the corner of her mouth confirmed that Chloe had done well.

* * *

Beca had thought that no one had seen them exit the kitchen. It wasn’t a lunch hour and the cake had been cut up and eaten by the rest of the staff earlier. The pair had been working and had no time to eat the cake. It would have been unlikely that anyone would have seen them, let alone paid attention to how long they were in there for.

The angry blonde had brought the broken coffee machine with him and there was something about the handle that gave Beca pause. She was seeing it in an angle she had not seen it in previously. The handle part of it had a cut on it. The cut was clean and it made her hunch a little stronger.

“How did it break?” Beca asked.

“No idea,” he replied. “But it looks like it had been dropped and someone had put it back together.”

The cut was too clean. It was cut with something. The wires poking out of it indicated that the coffee machine had broken due to the incision on the handle. Beca thought she recognized that cut from somewhere. During her time at college, she had taken a woodwork and plastics workshop as a side project. It was supposed to be an easy credit. She remembered that on her first week there, she had cut into a piece of plastic using a hacksaw blade. It had not been the correct tool for the job and she was marked worse due to the error. The hacksaw blade did leave a unique cut, similar to the one on the coffee machine.

“Did you ever think that someone might have been trying to break it on purpose and put the blame on us?”

“Like I’m going to believe that.”

“No, seriously. What kind of drop leaves a coffee machine in that state?”

“So what was it then?”

“That missing part on the handle where the wires are sticking out. The plastic doesn’t look like it’s been shattered, it’s been cut,” she explained. Luke lifted the machine and observed it carefully. He might even believe her.

“Don’t mean to be rude Luke but you aren’t the most likable guy and any number of people could've broken this to spite you.” Apparently pointing this out to Luke wasn’t the best idea. He became even more enraged after looking at the cut.

“You’re coming with me,” he said, pointed at Beca.

With that, he indicated that Beca should follow him. Chloe looked like she wanted to say something to stop them but a quick wave of a hand from the brunette stopped her. She hadn’t actually broken the thing so it wouldn’t be right for her to take the blame. As Beca glanced back along her way to the office, she saw Chloe move towards one of the other cubicles.

* * *

Luke’s office was a large space big enough for a large set of drawers in the far corner, a sizable desk and a couch. The desk was situated in the middle of the room. On it, sat a strange flower that looked like a cross between a cactus and a tulip and it certainly had no right being inside an office building. It was mid-afternoon and the sun was beaming in through the large window that stretched all across the back of the room. The couch, suede and coloured a dark blue felt strange. Unfortunately, it was where Beca was forced to sit.

A whole hour passed in the office. An hour where she refused to admit that she broke the coffee machine. An hour where every question was deflected, answered in a dismissive manner or flat out ignored. Hopefully Luke would get the picture that she wasn’t going to give up Chloe, especially considering she hadn’t technically broke the machine.

“This is the not the behaviour I expect from my employees Miss Mitchell,” Luke said.

“This conversation would go a lot smoother if you didn’t come into it already thinking that I’m the culprit.” Luke was starting to become frustrating. ”You literally have nothing to go on apart from offhand information from someone saying we were in the kitchen for too long,” she argued.

This made Luke stop. Over the past hour, his accusations and supposed evidence against Beca had thinned. He really had nothing to work with anymore. Beca suspected that he was waiting for her to talk given a long enough time in here. It wasn’t technically illegal so she couldn’t complain but it was incredibly tedious. She decided that now was the time to strike and hoped that her words got her released from the temporary prison rather than just get her fired.

“You know Luke, it shows poor leadership skills for you to jump on the first person you think may have done something wrong.” Luke was a young guy and was more likely to be influenced by her words.

“Well, you’re the only person I can reasonably suspect!” he shouted. Apparently getting to him was rather easy. “If I don’t punish someone, I’m going to look like a goddamn pushover and then the whole office will run wild.” He looked somewhat exhausted.

“So you admit that I’m not the offender,” Beca countered.

“No, but I can’t have you addressing me in such a manner as you did earlier. It makes me look like I can’t keep control of my employees.” He looked forlornly down at his desk.

“Acting irrationally and throwing a fit is better in what way exactly?

All attention in the room was suddenly diverted as the small wooden door to the office flew open in great speed, slamming onto the wall adjacent.

Three figures walked into the room. Beca instantly recognized Tom, who was showing genuine fear. There was a thin line of sweat on his brow. The next person was Chloe. This was a different side of her though. One which looked very angry, specifically at Tom which she guessed from the way the redhead was holding the boy by his collar, like he had been dragged here. The third person was a blonde woman, slightly taller than Chloe. She looked to be around her age.

The blonde nodded to the redhead before departing. “Thanks, Aubrey,” Chloe called out. She then turned her attention back to the two confused faces in the room.

“Luke, Tom here has something he would like to tell you,” she said with a forced smile on her face.

The aforementioned was pushed lightly into the center of the room. He seemed fidgety, looking back at Chloe then coming face to face with Luke.

“I was the one who broke the coffee machine,” he said, not making eye contact with their boss.

“And?” Chloe added sternly.

“And when I saw Beca go into the kitchen, I told you, so that you would think it was her,” he finished.

Luke looked at Tom. He seemed disappointed. “Tom, are you a child? Do you not understand how to operate in a work environment? This isn’t the first problem about you that’s come my way.” He pointed towards his computer screen. “I’ve received emails from several female employees complaining about harassment.”

Luke turned to the two woman. “Miss Mitchell, you and Miss Beale are dismissed.”

Beca began to make her way out of the room when she realized that the redhead had not moved from her spot in the room. Her anger was still in effect and she was staring down their boss.

“Luke!” Chloe began. “Don’t you have something you need to say as well?” She then looked towards the shorter girl.

Luke replied rather dumbly, “What?”

This was clearly the wrong thing to say as fury within Chloe intensified. Luke visibly shrunk back a little at the glare.

“Not only did you falsely accuse Beca of wrongdoing, you made her wait in your office for a good hour doing god knows what. Then, when the person who actually broke your dumb machine was found, all you can say is that she is dismissed. I’m surprised Beca herself isn’t blowing up at you.” Apparently Chloe was also unafraid of being fired.

Luke seemed to understand what Chloe was getting at. A little flustered, he attempted his best apology. “Sorry Beca. I probably shouldn’t have let my emotions take control of the situation,” he said. “It was unprofessional.”

The brunette was relieved that Luke had taken her words to heart and not just fired her. She felt a little sorry for the guy, who was probably attempting to keep control of staff that had no real respect for him.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the taller girl grabbing her hand.

“Ready to go?” she asked. Luke could be heard telling Chloe about not talking to him in such a tone but she was flat out ignoring him, her back turned.

* * *

“Thanks for pulling me out of there,” Beca said.

“Now we’re even,” the redhead replied, her usually sweet smile had returned. “Seriously though, thank you for helping me earlier and for not telling Luke about it.”

“I’m no snitch,” the brunette said rather seriously.

Chloe chuckled. “Between the ways you covered our tracks in the kitchen and your interrogation where you didn’t give me up, I’m starting to suspect that you’re a criminal mastermind.”

“Apparently you’re a great detective. How did you know it was Tom?” Beca asked.

“After you said it couldn’t have been you who broke it because of the cut, I asked Aubrey to help me look around for anything suspicious, especially any sort of blade. She said she saw Tom walking around the office with a small knife this morning so I went to him. Needless to say, he squealed like a pig. That Aubrey girl is scary.”

Chloe was glad to have met Aubrey though. They had briefly chatted on the first day and she seemed like a nice enough girl. Chloe had been surprised when she had agreed to her weird request and shocked further by her scary display in front of the guilty saboteur.

On another note, she was finding Beca more intriguing with every minute they spent together. Her knowledge base was weirdly versatile and included things not really needed for office work. She only really interacted with Chloe and they were still getting comfortable with each other. It was clear that she was an introvert.

Chloe knew a little about introverts. She had to understand the difference between extroverts and introverts to understand learning techniques during college. She picked up a few things. Firstly, introverts don’t make friends easily. They need to warm up to people over a period of time. As a result they have fewer friends than their extroverted counterparts. The difference is that once an introvert makes friends, they tend to hold onto those people tightly. While an introvert may appear shy and closed off to others, they will be as vibrant and as active as any other person to their friends. Chloe could see the truth in that.

Today had been a good showcase of the kind of person Beca truly was. She could have not helped the redhead with the coffee machine. She could have left her to deal with it on her own. She could have reported it to Luke. She could have told Luke about Chloe when he first arrived. She could have told Luke about it during the hour they were in the office together. She could have been angry at Chloe for getting her into trouble. She could have done a great many things that would have gotten her off the hook for the coffee machine and yet she had decided to help the older girl in every single situation.

Despite only knowing each other for four days, Chloe had already made a great friend.

* * *

**Friday - April 8th**

The last day of a particularly strange work week was a much calmer time and both Beca and Chloe were grateful for the lack of mishaps.

It was raining today. Beca liked the rain. It had the positive effect of calming down the world around her. People didn’t like going out in the rain so a look out of their window showed a much more peaceful world with fewer inhabitants. Inside, people were trying to keep warm and the damp conditions made everyone far less active. Lunch hour had just ended so most people had become lethargic as a result of whatever they stuffed into themselves.

Spring rain was particularly nice because it didn’t have the added effect of making everything cold as well.

The two of them had completed most of the hard work earlier that day so the drowsy feeling was manageable with the work they were currently doing, coasting till they could go home and relax.

All in all, Beca could describe it as pleasant.

There was something else though. Something that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. It was certainly a positive something but it was a sensation that she was unfamiliar with.

No, not unfamiliar, more like something she wouldn’t have felt when working in the financial department in her lonely little cubicle.

That something, that Beca saw as she glanced down, was Chloe’s leg. Said leg had wormed itself underneath the brunette’s and had nestled up against her calf. The redhead seemed to be unaware of this. To be fair, Beca had not noticed either and she had just described the feeling as pleasant so complaining about an invasion of personal space would just be lying to herself.

It then occurs to her that for Chloe’s leg to be nestled comfortably against her, she would have to be sitting rather close. In fact, they were sat very close together.

Neither had needed to speak since lunch so silence pervaded the cubicle. Usually this would cause Beca’s brain to overthink a situation and worry that the silence was because the other person didn’t like her or was bored of her. This silence was different though. It was a type of silence usually born out of months or years of friendship with a person, where the need to keep them entertained or interested is no longer a concern, safe in the knowledge that they are happy to just be there with you.

She knew that the silence was mostly because they were just getting on with their work but the feeling was similar. She doubted that it would be different even if they were just sat there doing nothing.

She was getting comfortable with Chloe. It was perhaps the shortest she had known someone before reaching this stage and it perplexed her.

Beca had met people with sunny dispositions before. They were perfectly nice but they never seemed to actually care about Beca. In fact, most people didn't actually seem to want to put the effort into getting to know the brunette and she couldn't really blame them as she wasn't really making it easy for them.

Chloe had made the effort. That was what made her different. Her positivity and friendliness were not just for show. She had sensed that Beca was trying on that first day rather than assume that there was something wrong with her like most people had.

The younger girl enjoyed showing up to work. Chloe was interesting to listen to, fun to talk to and was attuned to Beca's sense of humor. Beca greatly enjoyed her company.

The best part was that Chloe seemed to enjoy her company too.

At that moment, Chloe moved away to work on her computer. Beca mourns the loss of contact right away. This is then followed by scolding herself for being saddened at the loss of something so insignificant.

At least now she could get back to work instead of being distracted by the lingering leg. It wouldn’t help her to get super weird with her new friend. Chloe liked her and she wanted to keep it that way.

Beca never thought herself to be a touchy feely person. It was less that she didn’t like physical contact and more that she didn’t really seek it out. That was until today anyway.

Her attempt to get back to her work, which had been stopped by the distraction and then further paused by her dwelling on it and analysing her thoughts about it was again paused by the return of the leg. It seemed subconscious action for the redhead who didn’t even inquire if it was alright with the Beca. Not that she would have answered truthfully so the brunette was grateful.

Chloe then decided to discard her shoes, kicking them off. When she kicked off the shoe on the leg that was nuzzled against the other girl, the action caused Beca to also lose her shoe.

Again, Chloe must have been completely oblivious to her actions as she was now rubbing her bare foot against Beca’s. It sent blood up to the younger girl’s cheek, coloring them. Chloe’s foot was warm, much warmer than she had expected. It was also incredibly soft as it pressed against the top of her own foot, almost massaging it. All in all, it felt wonderful.

Beca sighed quite loudly. It was pathetic how much she enjoyed this. If Chloe knew, she wouldn’t be continuing.

The sigh seemed to catch the redhead’s attention. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah.” And that was part of the problem.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Saturday - April 9th**

In retrospect, she should have planned her morning run to take place on a Sunday so she had the Saturday to relax but there was a schedule to stick to and despite how tired she was, she was going to get through this. It was only around ten in the morning but the effects of the work week could still be felt in her body. Even her yellow tank top and pink jogging shorts combo felt heavy on her.

Chloe hated running. She wasn’t lazy or an unhealthy person, it was just mind-numbingly boring. It had been great when she had first arrived in the city. The park was an unexplored territory and she had enjoyed running different routes through it. It was still a great place to run but there was a sense of dissatisfaction that had begun to encroach on every aspect of her life. She was surprised it had even snuck into her running.

The reason for the dissatisfaction was apparent to her. It had to do with the people around her. The redhead was good at making friends. Her outward energy and boldness made her easily approachable. It was the nature of these friendships that she found depressing. None of them were very deep. No one she had met in this city could be considered a close friend. She had become aware of it in her adult life. At some point, the people her age became harder to get close to. The friends she made in the city were different from the ones in her hometown. They were older, they had jobs and other engagements which meant she had less time to get to know them. They were not people she could rely on, they wouldn’t be a shoulder to cry on or a place to share her innermost thoughts. Despite the vast amount of people around her, she felt more alone than ever.

The park was usually a peaceful place, even on weekends. A large number of trees in the park created a canopy that provided shade and formed tight little avenues between the trunks. It was quite a sizable park so the busy sounds of the city were almost inaudible as you ventured deeper into it. During the spring, the rain would cool the park and unleash a torrent of smells from the flowers and leaves. This combined with the breeze that became focused as it was forced through the tunnels of trees made for a magical sort of atmosphere.

Her first obstacle was going to be the ice cream cart. It was a particularly hot day so there was bound to be a generous number of customers. Already there was a gaggle of children crowding the cart and blocking her path. It forced her to lower her pace to navigate around carefully. Something did catch her eye though.

Dressed in red flannel and a pair of dark blue jeans approached one Beca Mitchell with what looked to be two ice cream cones full of vanilla ice cream in her hand, both covered in an unnecessary amount chocolate syrup. She was wearing dark eyeliner much like at the office but it was applied on a little heavier here. The contrast it created with the whites of her eyes further brought out the blue in the center and Chloe found herself staring at them again.

“Ice cream?” Beca beamed.

She was so adorable it was hard to deny her but Chloe had a pace to maintain and sugar and fat were not going to help.

"What are you doing here?" The redhead inquired.

"Just out, it's a nice day."

The brunette pushed the ice cream towards her.

“I can’t. It would kinda be counterintuitive to the whole exercise thing.”

Her heart broke at the face Beca made to her rejection. It quickly changed back to a smile.

“How about the next time I see you?” Beca asked.

“Ok.”

Her reply earned her a sly grin. Perhaps she was imagining it.

Chloe bid her goodbye and finally made her way past the gaggle of children. The next leg of her run included the two ponds with a stretch of land separating them. There were benches surrounding the ponds mostly occupied by elderly people who weren’t expecting the heat.

The ponds were home to ducks. These ducks were fat and rather ugly from overfeeding, a problem of having the park in a major city. Well-fed ducks meant that more of the local population survived. This meant that there was an unnaturally large number of them in and around the pond. These ducks were more than happy to bathe the path with their excrement. The game became to keep her speed while avoiding the droppings. Thankfully, the smell of the rest of the park masked whatever was coming from the droppings.

* * *

Beca hadn’t expected to see such a depressed version of Chloe on her Saturday morning. Most runners don’t look like they are enjoying themselves but the redhead had looked rather despondent.

Even her glum expression didn’t really stop her from standing out though, at least to Beca. Chloe was a warm presence in a sea of uninteresting faces, all going about their day. Next to the redhead, the rest of the world might as well be in grayscale.

Walking through the park with an ice cream had been the plan for the day. She needed the fresh air after being cooped up in an office throughout the week and being too tired to actually do anything when she got home. A relaxing day had been the plan.

That was until she had seen Chloe. Finding out what was wrong had been her first thought and it wasn’t something she could shake. The ice cream plan had failed but she could feel something cooking in her brain the moment the older girl had rejected her offer.

It would be childish to do what she was planning to do. Her intentions of relaxing for the day would have to go out the window. It might end up being a waste of time. The only thing really pushing her was that it would cheer up Chloe.

A need arose in her, a need to cheer up her co-worker. It was unexpectedly strong and felt like it was giving her energy to follow through on her stupid idea, energy she thought had been drained by the week.

* * *

After the ponds, Chloe came to a large clearing now covered in lush spring grass. This was where most people gathered. Some were lazing away on picnic blankets, kids were playing and there were other runners. Off to the side, there was a group of people throwing around a Frisbee.

The clearing had an assortment of flower beds scattered around it. A colorful mix of flowers like tulips, daffodils and even roses were in bloom.

Curiously, there was also a familiar face there. One Beca Mitchell, with noticeably muddier shoes than before, still holding two ice creams.

Still grinning, she approached the redhead. “Ice Cream?” She offered again.

The redhead figured that she must have taken a shortcut through the trees and the muddy shoes confirmed her suspicions.

“Beca, I just told you why I couldn’t.”

“But you said next time,” the brunette fake whined.

“You know that’s not what I meant and you’ve slowed me down again,” Chloe huffed.

She wasn’t actually angry, it was a nice surprise but Beca had decided to play the devil on her shoulder today and she wasn’t going to give in. The younger girl was certainly making her run more interesting.

Chloe said her farewells for the second time today, to the same person before running off again towards the darker canopies.

“Definitely next time though!” She heard Beca shout from behind her.

The next area of the park was her favorite. It tended to be the quietest for some reason. The light from the sun barely streamed in through the thick canopy so it tended to create shafts of light that scattershot the pathway. It was peaceful here. All she could hear was the tapping of her feet against the ground and the slight rustle of the leaves from the light breeze.

However, her mind was currently preoccupied with thoughts of Beca. She had forgotten about the brunette when she was going through her more depressing thoughts earlier. Beca was different from her other friends. Chloe had become incredibly comfortable with the other girl in a really short period of time.

Friday had been a strange day. Chloe had subconsciously played footsie with Beca even going so far as to remove her shoes in the process. It hadn’t been on purpose, she would swear by it. A fear that Beca would be weirded out by it had quickly dissolved when she had made no arguments to the accidental removal of their shoes. Chloe noticed later that Beca had removed her other shoe, indicating that she hadn’t minded the contact. Their feet had remained together for the rest of the day, neither addressing it.

* * *

Beca liked Chloe. She liked her more than she had expected. For the first time in years, Beca wanted a friendship to work out. As children, it was much easier to make friends. This was because children had fewer likes and dislikes, they were still forming opinions and becoming a person. This meant they were broader and as a result, easier to befriend. Adults were a different story. They were fully formed with ideas, hobbies and interests. It was much harder to find commonality with them. Most people tended to find making friends more difficult as adults but being an introvert didn’t help matters.

Meeting Chloe had put a dent into that theory though. She would guess that she and Chloe didn’t have that many shared interests. Yet she seemed to connect with the redhead easily. It was a theory she didn’t really believe in to begin with. She had attempted to make friends with other musicians. It made her realize that friendship isn’t built on the things you have in common. It was built on something intangible, some unknown she had yet to discover.

That intangible something was felt with Chloe.

Following the redhead had led Beca into the thicker canopy area of the park. It was cooler and darker here. Since she wasn’t actually on the designated path, it was noticeably wetter as well. Beca had to arrive at the next destination quickly but had a quick glance at Chloe, whom she could see a few feet away.

Her plan appeared to be working. It looked as though Chloe was blushing. Perhaps it was from the running but there was also a smile on her face and she seemed to be deep in thought, her pace lower than normal.

Beca found herself thinking about just how beautiful Chloe was. She wasn’t one to pay much attention to outward beauty in anyone but she felt she could comfortably describe the older girl as the one of the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. It had taken her a week to realize it because Chloe’s beauty was subtle.

It was the little things like her eyes, blue like Beca’s but lighter, to showcase her brighter and positive self. There was a shine to them, like they were handcrafted from glass. Her smile which was almost infectious was present on her face on most days. She didn’t suffer from resting bitch face like Beca did. She looked delightfully adorable whenever she blushed, something the brunette got to see a handful of times during the week.

For some reason, the sight of Chloe blushing, smiling, running through the lightly illuminated tunnel caused Beca’s cheeks to also redden. Her breathing became a little heavier, almost hitching. Her heart felt like it had expanded inside her chest, pumping a little faster. It was an unfamiliar sensation.

It felt good.

Beca could not describe feeling anything similar with her previous friends. Chloe was special in some way.

Coming out of her daze, she made her way to their next destination to ready the ambush.

* * *

Don’t smile.

Chloe didn’t want Beca to think she approved of her actions but her first instincts at seeing the brunette for the third time today had been to smile at her.

Chloe had come to the second clearing near the center of the park. It was much smaller than the previous one. There was a statue commemorating a great mayor of the city she knew nothing about. It wasn’t as grand or as glorious as the designers of the park had imagined. Don’t get her wrong, it was a nice little pocket in the thick park but it was home to a couple of food carts which took away from the historic feeling the space was going for.

Beca was standing next to the hot dog carts. Her current expression was that of surprise, like she had not been expecting the redhead to be here. She was sweating much like Chloe so she had run here. Her shoes were even muddier and she looked to be out of breath.

Chloe was sure that Beca had witnessed a glimpse of her smile before she had managed to catch herself doing it and stop.

The brunette opened her mouth, about to speak but was cut off sharply.

“No!” Chloe almost shouted.

“You didn’t even know what I was going to say.”

Chloe put her arms on her hips and indicated that Beca should continue.

“Hot dogs?” Beca didn’t even look like she was attempting to hide her smile.

Chloe began to walk away, she could see the other girl picking up two hot dogs that the vendor had been preparing and running to catch up to her.

“Come on Chloe, these are supposed to be some of the best in the city,” she pleaded.

Beca extended her hand out to Chloe, offering her the hot dog. It smelled amazing. She hadn’t had anything to eat since eight o’clock this morning and that was a Nutri-Grain bar. She was tired and it would be so easy to just give in and take it. Her pace had been all over the place this morning which meant her run was already ruined so what was the harm really.

“No I can’t,” she said. She wasn’t going to give in yet. “I have to keep healthy so as much as I would love to have what looks to be a fantastic hot dog, I have to decline. Maybe another time?”

Beca’s face softened. “You seemed kinda down earlier, are you worried you’re not healthy? You look better than 90% of people around here so I wouldn't worry too much.”

The redhead was surprised. Beca had noticed her dejection. What’s more, it explained her strange behavior today. Perhaps she cared? It was nice knowing someone did. That feeling of loneliness from earlier seemed to dissipate slightly.

“It’s not that. I’m just not a big fan of running and I’m far more exhausted from work than I thought. Sorry I’ve been so short with you.”

The brunette’s smile return. “Hey, don’t worry about it. The week took it out of me too, it was one of the most incident filled ones I’ve had at work.”

Chloe chuckled. “I really like working with you, by the way, I don’t believe I’ve got the chance to tell you that,” she said.

The blush from the younger girl made it clear to Chloe that Beca wasn’t used to compliments. She seemed to be pretty modest. She recovered from it quickly though.

“You’re not bad yourself.”

“Glad to see I rate well on the Beca Mitchell scale,” Chloe joked.

“In all honesty, I’ve really enjoyed working as a team and I don’t think it’s because of my amazing people skills. You’ve been really cool.”

Chloe beamed. She was not so secretly proud of herself.

With that she departed, saying goodbye for the third time. She thought more about her co-worker as she made her way towards the exit to the park. Beca had discerned Chloe’s state of mind immediately and had set about attempting to find out what was wrong, admittedly in a strange way. The other girl had only known Chloe for less than a week and she had been able to pick up on how Chloe was feeling. What was stranger still was how happy Chloe had been at every encounter with Beca today. She even had to suppress it during Beca last two attempts.

Beca was special in some way.

* * *

The extra hot dog was discarded carelessly by getting the attention of a nearby labrador and getting it to fetch it. The labrador then proceeded to chase after it, dragging a now very angry owner behind it. While the labrador had its way with its tasty new treat, Beca received a death glare from the dismayed owner.

She didn’t really care though. It felt like a spark had been ignited within her. For the first time in months, she felt inspired to write a song.

She blamed herself for her career path. It had been the safe option to study a marketing course at college. It would mean she was financially secure. And she was. The problem was her true passion was pummelled to an indiscernible mess as a result. Her studies had to take a forefront to her music. She thought she would have free time once she got her job to work on her music but ran into an inspiration problem, writer’s block if you will.

There wasn’t much she could really write about. Her childhood hadn’t been eventful. She refused to write a song about her father leaving. While it affected her, she did not want to be defined by it. It wasn’t something she felt strongly about anyway. She had written a song about her mother but that had been right after her death and she didn’t really want to revisit it.

Love songs right? They were the most common type of song. Beca hadn’t had a significant other she could write a line about, let alone a whole song. Disney had guaranteed she believed in true love but she had yet to actually experience it. So love songs were a no-go.

It was a lyrical problem. Her melodies, song structure and instrumentation were fantastic. The music was strong. She had tried going the instrumental route but she still had the same problem. Her work needed to say something, she need lyrics. Her songs refused to work without them.

The mundanity of modern life, especially in a big city didn’t allow the creative mind to work properly. In times of old, bards would regale listeners with tales of heroes, knights, and princesses. These things no longer needed to be described using song, they were a video on a webpage away.

Political? While she had a viewpoint, she wasn’t really interested in presenting it in her music. Her music came from her heart. At times, it felt like it was just flowing out of her. It never felt political and forcing it to be had not been all that fruitful.

Friendship? The cheesiest, sappiest types of songs. These weren’t that common. Beca would never have considered one. The friends she had were not the kinds in movies who walked into each other’s houses unannounced, who knew each other intimately and would do anything for each other. The ones she had could be considered upgraded acquaintances at best.

Friendship songs had been out of the question until today. She could write a song about Chloe. The girl in question might find it weird but it wasn’t like Beca made music to share with people. It could be a song about the budding of a friendship. She could describe the events of the day. The ideas for melodies and the instruments she could incorporate were already coming to her.

Her lyrics were finally arriving as well.

* * *

The heat hadn’t helped. The run had been far more exhausting than Chloe had imagined. It was getting closer to midday, the sun becoming an obstacle for her eyes. She was nearing the exit to the park, only a little further to the bench, the one under the oak tree. It was her favorite. There were other oak trees in the park, most were much bigger but this one was her favorite for a pretty stupid reason.

She felt rather sorry for it. It was unloved by the other people visiting the park. It looked just as sturdy and strong as the other trees and during this time of the year, had lovely green leaves all over it.

As she approached, she saw that no one was occupying the bench. She pushed herself a little faster to get to the shade, to finally be able to rest.

Once she got to the bench, she collapsed. Her bones became jelly, only the bench really holding her up. She had completed her run and didn’t feel all that great about it. Now what? She would go home and watch Netflix until it was time to sleep. Tomorrow? Probably something similar. It was becoming a monotonous routine and she didn’t really know how to break out of it. There didn’t seem to be anything to look forward to. She worked out because she needed to keep healthy. She needed to keep healthy to continue to live. These were the basics. There was nothing to make her want to live though.

Growing up, the goal was to succeed at whatever educational level she was at so that she was given better opportunities further down the line. Now, in her adult life, she didn’t have any real goals. She was just promoted but it didn’t make her feel all that great. She didn’t need the extra pay, it wasn’t like she was spending much money anyway.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she became aware of movement near her.

“I swear it’s not on purpose this time.” It was Beca’s voice.

Looking up Chloe saw the brunette holding two slushies.

“I was on my way home when I saw you become a puddle on the bench. You can’t say no to slushies. It’s ice and a bit of sugar.” She then sat down on the bench next to Chloe, handing her the drink.

Chloe moved closer to Beca. “Thank you.” Taking a big sip, she let out a sigh and leaned back into the bench, unknowingly leaning against Beca’s side in the process. It was surprisingly comfortable. She didn’t really want to move away. Perhaps the other girl wouldn’t notice.

The contact seemed to have made Beca stiffen a little initially. Chloe thought at first that this was because she did not appreciate the touch but seconds later, Beca relaxed into it, supporting Chloe’s weight against her.

“Sorry if I’m a little gross from the sweat,” she said, kind of embarrassed by her perspiration.

“I’m sweaty too. A bit muddy as well.”

“Oh yeah, how did that happen?” Chloe asked.

“I was doing my regular Saturday morning run but this annoying girl kept interrupting me. She kept saying I was messing up her pace." Beca took a sip of her drink. "I was just minding my own business.” She was smirking now.

Chloe was ready to return fire. “Well my run wasn’t any better. This totally adorable Oompa Loompa kept tempting me with the foods of the devil. I’m trying to maintain a figure here.”

“I am not that short!” the brunette shouted. It looked like something in her brain clicked then, like she had fully processed what Chloe had said.

“Adorable?! I’m trying to maintain a low key badass persona here!”

The redhead grinned. It was almost too easy. “That was clear to see on Monday. You were a real badass.”

Beca’s smirk was wiped off her face almost instantly. “That was a low blow and you know it.” She was now frowning, making her even more adorable.

“Very low considering it’s you.” Hit her when she’s down, that’ll go over well.

“I’m going to spill both slushies all over you.”

“Badasses don’t get their friends slushies in the first place.”

They quipped back and forth a while longer. After some time, they were just happy to be under the shade of the tree, sitting in silence. Chloe almost fell asleep a couple of times, Beca acting as a comfortable pillow.

There was something on Beca’s arm that caught her eye. A tattoo of some sort of creature. “What is that?” she asked, pointing at the tattoo. Beca looked down towards her arm.

“A stick insect.”

“Your badass level is rising.”

“Stick insects are cool,” Beca defended.

“When you’re five,” Chloe corrected. “Whatever, ladybugs are way cooler.” She then pushed her arm out so that Beca could see her ladybug tattoo on her arm, just below her wrist.

“You hypocrite!” Beca exclaimed. Her eyes looked curious for a second as she lightly touched the marking on the redhead’s skin. “It’s fitting though.”

“Now we’re tattoo buddies!” Chloe shouted.

“You are not allowed to call us that in public.”

Chloe frowned. “Only if you admit we are tattoo buddies.”

“Fine.” the brunette relented.

“Say it.” The older girl wanted the words to come out of her mouth. Beca hesitated, her face displaying annoyance

“We’re tattoo buddies.”

Chloe’s instincts took over as she grabbed Beca in for a hug. There was no complaint from the other girl, who seemed to ease into it, chuckling. The brunette’s hugs were different from others. She didn’t grip too tightly but her arms were placed almost perfectly and she was super soft and warm. They were surprisingly intimate hugs for the reserved girl.

She was a little disappointed to have to break apart.

They remained on the bench for another hour. Chloe didn’t really want to get up, comfortably leaning against Beca. Her depressed thoughts didn’t rear their ugly head the whole time and she had a feeling it was mostly because of the brunette.

“Beca, you consider me a friend, right? We’re not just co-workers.” Chloe started.

“Yeah, why do you ask?”

“Just checking. I consider you one and I didn’t want to think I was being weird. We haven’t even known each other for a week but I really like you.”

Beca smiled. “Chloe, I just chased you through the park to try and get you to eat things. If I don’t consider you a friend, then I would just be a crazy stalker.”

The redhead laughed. She had been worried that she was assuming incorrectly about their friendship. She tended to invest more into a relationship than others and would find herself alone when the other person just sort of disappeared. Beca had yet to be pushed away by her weirdness.

“Thanks, Beca.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Tuesday - April 12th**

Workday. Morning around eleven o’ clock.

_You have 15 new messages from Unknown Number._

Beca’s phone on the table announced loudly. Chloe watched as the other girl picked up the phone, grunted in annoyance at whatever was on screen before switching it off. She then turned to Chloe.

“Sorry about that, it’s my dad,” she said. “Can’t seem to leave me alone.”

“It must be urgent if he left you 15 messages.”

Beca didn’t look too worried.

“He’s been trying to reach me for the past few weeks. Must've found out I moved here.” She said it with a certain distaste.

“You don’t like your dad?” Chloe asked. She was curious. Why would Beca not have her father as a named contact in her phone? Why would she ignore him?

“Nope,” the brunette replied quickly.

Chloe wanted to pry, desperately. Beca had revealed little about herself so far. She seemed to be far more content just listening. Getting her to open up would be a challenge, the redhead was almost sure of it. The girl was interesting, not what she had expected at all. There was an innocence to her. She hid it behind a hard as nails exterior, one that seemed to crumble immediately when she had met Chloe. Beca had no problem standing up to authority figures, her confidence seemed to flare out of her whenever she did. But the first simple interaction between the two co-workers had turned her into a quivering mess.

“You wanna talk about it?” Chloe was a little ashamed that her question was the best she could come up with. At least she left it open for Beca to refuse. The last thing she needed was for the progress in their relationship to take a step back.

“It’s boring.”

“Let me be the judge of that,” Chloe countered.

Beca seemed to brace herself. She took a deep breath and took a sip of her coffee. “You really want to know?”

“Yes!” Chloe said loudly, somewhat exasperated.

“Why?”

The question confused the redhead to an extent. She had expected pushback certainly but she hadn’t been prepared for this. She knew the answer to the question but would being blunt about it help the situation?

“I want to get to know you.”

“Because?”

She needed to be honest to a certain extent, Beca clearly didn’t think she actually considered her well-being. “Because I’m your friend,” she said slowly. “You don’t seem overjoyed about your dad and I’d like to know why. Believe it or not Beca, but I do care about you.”

Beca smiled, she looked appreciative of Chloe’s words.

“It really is boring, my dad left when I was around thirteen. My mom had caught him cheating with a much younger woman. She had been willing to forgive him. At first he seemed to have realized his mistake and for about two weeks, it looked like things were returning to normal. Next thing you know, he doesn’t come home from work one day.” Another sip of coffee. “A couple of years ago, he must have found out where I was and started trying to contact me.”

“He never really believed in me. Must have been a surprise to find out I made it through college. Now he wants to come back into my life. I’m just glad to be away from all of that,” she finished, her focus on the computer monitor.

Chloe had suspected that Beca’s aversion to her father was more than just a need for space. Beca had already given him a chance to make things right and he had abused it. It showed remarkable strength to completely let him go. It explained her hardened personality.

“I won in a sense. I showed him I could make it without him. I’ve got my degree, a place to live in a thriving city and a job with further options.”

Chloe grinned. “You’re awesome, you know that,” she said. The brunette turned to face her, looking surprised at her declaration. “You realized that dwelling on your father wasn’t going to bring you any joy so you eliminated him from your life and got on with it. It’s really admirable.” Chloe was beaming.

“What’s your family like?” Beca asked. Redirecting the conversation back to Chloe to hide her embarrassment.

“Why do you want to know?” Chloe was grinning now. Her question elicited a knowing smile from the brunette.

“I see what you mean now.”

Chloe was more than happy to share though. Beca actually listened.

“Well, let’s see. They’re good people, just...” she paused. “ They and the people around me had no real goals. They were content where they were and didn’t have any ambition to do something else, go somewhere new, try something different. My hometown was a draining place to grow up in. I kinda had to get away too.”

She didn't really have anyone to vocalize this to. Her parents were confused when she had told them. Some of her friends told her she was moving away because she thought she was better than them. Not the case at all. The look in Beca’s eyes showed she had understood.

“It still gets lonely sometimes doesn’t it?” Beca asked.

“Yeah,” Chloe sighed. She looked at her friend. The brunette's eyes, again causing the redhead to be a little mesmerized. “You’re making it better though.” She hadn’t intended the words to come out like they did. It sounded far more intimate than she had expected, not that it wasn’t true.

The brunette’s smile allayed her doubt. Those normally saddened sapphire eyes looked hopeful.

“You too.”

They returned to work, both quiet. No further words needed to be exchanged. Chloe had managed to get Beca to share her thoughts. More than that, she had found someone to share her own thoughts with and the positive feeling she had gotten from it was unexpected.

She inadvertently moved her chair closer to Beca. Her leg found its way to the younger girl’s again. This time, it was purposeful and the brunette accommodated her cozily. The contact sent ripples through her. It was just nice to be close to someone, share their warmth. She and Beca were connecting, finding comfort in each other.

Her hand found its way to Beca's on the table. The pen in the other girl's hand was removed, the thought of asking not even being considered. Fingers slowly slipped into the spaces before interlocking. The clasp became a little firmer. Work had stopped. She could feel the muscles in the brunette’s hand relax their way down the arm, her touch becoming lighter yet still holding tightly.

Beca made her happy.

* * *

**Wednesday - April 13th**

Beca was sure she missed something. Was it some type of national holiday? Someone must have died. Martin Luther King Day had already passed and she wouldn’t even be in the office if it was. Plus it would be strange for it to be associated with Martin Luther King. Perhaps a recent death? She was never really good at keeping up with current events, The Daily Show notwithstanding. When was pride month? That was June, wasn’t it? It couldn’t be that then.

Chloe had come in this morning and placed a small teddy bear between their two computers. That had been five minutes ago and while the redhead had gone off to another part of the office, Beca had stared at it in confusion. The bear was a shade of white similar to alabaster with large black patches. One covered its eyes, there was a large round one on its chest slightly off center. In its hand, a trombone glued on poorly. It didn’t even look like it was holding it.

The redhead returned moments later. She casually sat down and began working again, a small smile was flashed Beca’s way. The brunette continued to stare between her and the bear.

When no explanation came from the older girl, Beca bit.

“What’s with the bear?” she asked, poking it in the stomach gently.

“Our desk is kinda plain. Thought it would brighten things up a little,” Chloe said. Their desk was rather dull. Beca didn’t have anything she wanted to keep near her. She didn’t need a photo of her mother to remember her. It was surprising that someone like Chloe didn’t have a mess of personal things cluttering their desk though. “Plus, I thought we could hug it when we were sad.”

“Because we’re both still six?”

Chloe seemed to take actual offense. “No, because it’s adorable and soft and squidgy and snuggly.” Beca gave her a deadpan expression.

“You’re setting woman back at least a hundred years, you know.”

“That’s perhaps a little dramatic,” the redhead replied. She then placed the bear back on the desk, much closer to Beca. “We still need to name it. I was thinking Mr. Fuzzles.”

“I’m going to reiterate my comment about you being six here,” Beca said. Chloe looked somewhat disappointed. “Also Mr. Fuzzles is kinda generic, don’t you think?”

“Do you have any ideas then?” The questioned seemed genuine.

Beca contemplated for a moment before smiling. “How about Apophis?”

“That’s kinda cute in a strange sort of way. We could call him Apo as a nickname.” She then looked suspiciously at the brunette. “What does it mean?”

“Oh, Apophis? He’s an ancient Greek deity who embodied chaos. There was an asteroid several years ago that was named after him because if it had hit the earth, it would have cause considerable damage” No response came from the Chloe, only a stare. “What? I thought it was fitting. Look what it's done to our work schedule.”

Chloe had chosen to completely ignore her and move forward with name finding. “Emily’s a nice name,” she suggested.

Beca shot her down promptly, shaking her head. “Nah, doesn’t fit. We should save that for when we have to name something important.”

“Yeah, it’s too human sounding for a bear. Besides. I don’t think this is a girl,” Chloe acknowledged. She started fiddling with the plastic trombone. “He's a musician so we should give him a fancy name, possible something European sounding.”

“Bad Trombonist?” Beca proposed.

Chloe frowned. “You’re very mean to a cute bear who has done nothing to you.”

“No, it’s an ironic name. He’s actually a great trombonist,” the brunette corrected. She then attempted to get back to work by turning to her screen.

“I don’t want to have to explain the name every time someone asks.”

Beca started typing. “You’re assuming people are going to.” She stopped typing, took the bear from the other girl and placed it back on the desk. “Now, back to work.”

“You know, if you’re going to keep disrespecting my bear, I’m not going to let you hug it,” the older girl threatened.

“Should my apology come in the form of a letter? Where would I mail it to? Does our bear have email?”

Chloe picked up the bear once again, ignoring Beca’s suggestion and began talking to it directly. “You’re mommy is suffering from postpartum depression. She’ll come around eventually.”

“That thing is not my child!”

The redhead placed her fingers over the bear’s ears. “Don’t fight in front of our baby, Beca,” she warned.

“You're the other mother-” the shorter girl stopped mid-sentence. “You know what, I’m done talking about this.” Turning again, she attempted to start work again.

“If you don’t want to be a part of our child’s life, that’s fine. I’ll take care of her on my own.”

The brunette couldn’t help but smile at that. Smiling turned to giggles and the redhead started to join in.

Beca turned to the redhead “Look, if I promise to love the bear with all my heart.” She placed her hand on her heart. “Could we get back to work?”

Chloe nodded. She placed the bear back in between the computers. “There you go Bad Trombonist. You hang out there.”

Work began again and continued mostly uninterrupted. Chloe’s suggestion of introducing a companion to their desktop friend who had now become their lonely desktop friend was answered with a glare. Further bear discussion had stopped indefinitely.

* * *

A week passed. Despite being told they were two of the best workers in the department, work slowed down compared to the first week. Beca blamed this on Chloe who would spend inordinate amounts of time talking to her. Chloe countered by stating that if Beca didn’t want to talk, she didn’t have to respond. Unfortunately, Beca secretly enjoyed the discussion no matter how inane it was. One minute Chloe would be talking about her feelings on the representation of women in film, a serious topic. She would make strong arguments and be rather convincing. The next, she would be telling her about how adorable the cat she had walked past had been.

**Thursday - April 21st**

_“I thought we were doing pretty well here,” Beca said._

_“We were.” And they had been. Unfortunately, the client had changed their specification yesterday and the email server had decided to go down on the same day. This lead to the pair building on the wrong specification._

_“So we finish tomorrow?”_

_“If only. The deadline for this is tomorrow. It was an error on our end we need to make up for it.”_

_Beca groaned. They had been working on this for the best part of the week and it was about to go up in flames. It wasn’t even their fault. IT were to blame, for not informing staff about the email issues. The client was to blame, for changing the requirements a day before the deadline. Now she was going to be stuck in the office even longer. They had skipped lunch for this dammit!_

_“Isn’t there a rule about the client not being allowed to make changes close to the deadline?” the brunette asked._

_“There should be, but our company statement and guarantee has kinda taken that away from us.”_

_Beca was confused by what Chloe was currently doing, which was packing away their work. The work that she had just said needed completing._

_“What are you doing?”_

_“Putting our work into my bag,“ she replied as though the reason was completely obvious. The brunette just stared at her in confusion._

_“So that we can work on it at my apartment.”_

_“Why not here?”_

_“Office closes at 6, its 5:47 now. We’re already working overtime as it is.”_

The two of them made their way to Chloe’s house in her car. Beca felt the need to tell Chloe just how annoying this whole situation was in as many ways as she could. The redhead spent the whole journey silent, smiling at her.

“Don’t you care that we’re forced to work longer?” Beca finally asked

Still smiling, Chloe replied, “Oh I do. It’s incredibly frustrating and we’ve had to throw away a good week of work.”

“Then why are you smiling?”

“I like seeing you angry, you talk way more."

Beca decided to shut up for the rest of the journey and just sit there grumpily which only made the smile on the redhead’s face grow.

Chloe’s apartment was neat. That was the first thing that Beca noted. Everything was in its right place, not a speck of dust on any surface. Thematically, it was what Beca expected from Chloe. There was a fluffy purple rug in the center of her main room where a beige couch sat. The walls were a calming shade of lilac. Her miniature kitchen was open plan leading out into the living room area. A small shelf stuffed rather precariously with books, all novels from a quick glance, was placed in the side of the room. What looked to be her work desk was by the window and the view of the park from the fourth floor was magnificent.

Chloe handed Beca her bag. “You get our work set up, I’ll get us something to eat. It might make you less cranky,” she said, a giggle following.

“I’m glad you’re getting some joy out of this,” Beca grumbled.

The mistake took several hours to correct. Not being on company hours meant that they could get far more distracted. First, they spent some time falling down a YouTube hole. Beca showed Chloe the bad rap cover songs she normally watches. The redhead seemed to like them so Beca didn’t reveal that she thought they were absolutely terrible.

The rest of the night was a mix of relaxing music, tea and quiet work. Both dressed down, taking off their shoes, blazers, and belts. It was a warmer day so Chloe opened a window to allow a little bit of the breeze into the room. Its fragrance reminding the brunette of the park.

Beca should have hated having to work so far into the day but it wasn't that bad. Work hadn't been detestable ever since her new job and she knew it had little to do with the actual content of the work.

Throughout the night, the toll of the project began to show in Chloe. The day looked to be getting to her far more than the brunette. Signs of her tiredness came in waves. At first, she would need some things being repeated, the words going in her ear and just coming out the other. Soon after, her eyelids began to droop. She started resting her head against the desk, Beca’s shoulder and her hands. The tea wasn’t helping.

Beca, who was used to long nights working on her music and suffered from mild insomnia didn’t have as much of a problem. She found it delightful to watch the normally active redhead become a tired little puppy.

“I think it’s time I headed home,” Beca said, the work having finally been completed and Chloe's exhaustion reaching a critical level.

The redhead's eyes snapped open suddenly as she glanced at the clock. “Oh, Christ! It’s eleven o'clock already.”

Beca started getting ready to leave, slipping her shoes on and getting her blazer.

“You can stay here if you’d like.”

Beca stopped. It was tempting, she lived much farther away than the redhead from work.

“You sure?”

“In fact, I insist,” the redhead said firmly.

Beca could see that despite her exhaustion, Chloe wasn’t going to let her go without a fight.

“I’ll be gone as soon as possible.”

“Beca, it’s like we’re not even friends sometimes. I want you to stay. It isn’t an inconvenience because friends aren’t an inconvenience. Not only are you going to stay, you are going to have breakfast with me,” she warned. She sounded irritated which should make the brunette feel somewhat guilty but it only made her want to laugh. Even when Chloe was annoyed with Beca, she couldn’t help but be nice.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll get the bed ready, it should be more than enough room for both of us,” she said.

“Oh no! I’m not sharing a bed. We’re not that close yet.” Beca immediately regretted her words. Chloe’s face fell for a split second and the brunette had seen it easily. “Sorry, it's just, I’m not fully comfortable sharing a bed with anyone, not just you.”

“It’s okay, I can come on a little strong sometimes.” Great now she’s blaming herself.

Chloe quickly excused herself to fetch blankets and a pillow for Beca, who was currently trying to collect her thoughts into a cohesive form so she could properly apologize to the other girl. The idea of sharing the bed had shaken her a little. She had to go and say something which sounded rather hurtful as it replayed in her mind. She didn’t even really mean it. Chloe was perhaps the closest friend she ever had. The fact that no other name came up in a quick search through her life confirmed it.

Chloe came back moments later, blankets in tow. She still seemed hurt, not fully looking at the other girl.

“Chlo?”

“Yeah.” Short response, attempting to sound a little peppy.

“I’m really sorry about what I said-”

“No, it’s fi-”

“Please let me finish,” Beca begged. Chloe nodded for her to continue. “I said something without thinking earlier. The reason I chose to stay is because I like spending time with you. I worry sometimes that you just put up with me. It’s irrational but it still nags at me.”

Chloe was finally looking at her again. Her eyes softening slightly.

“You’re my closest friend Chlo. Actually, if we discount my dead mother, you’re the closest I’ve ever gotten to another person.” Beca gazed at the redhead in front of her, trying to determine her feelings. “I find myself thinking that perhaps I’m coming on a little strong now that I’ve found someone who likes spending time with me, asking about my life, seeming to actually care.”

“I worry that when I tell you things like this, you’ll push me away. Because I’m not used to having someone like you around.”

Beca felt arms wrap around her, pulling her closer to the other girl. She was pushed down, more like tackled, against the couch, Chloe landing on top of her. “You idiot,” came the reply from the redhead, muffled from talking into her neck.

The older girl lifted her head up. She was grinning. “If you keep saying things like this, you won’t be able to keep me away,” she said before returning to her spot in Beca’s neck.  

Moments later, another muffled sentence came from Chloe. “Our first fight went pretty well.”

“This was a fight?”

“Yes! I was distraught for a whole five minutes while I was fetching you blankets. It felt like my heart had been torn out and eaten in front of me,” she joked.

“Gross.”

Beca liked Chloe's hugs. They were no holds barred, spontaneous affairs that allowed the redhead to drench her emotion all over the victim. It was like being caught in the web of the sweetest spider.

Eventually, Beca attempted to shift herself from the other girl, feeling like she was overextending her welcome. Apparently not.

“Would you hold still for a second?! I’m trying to take as much advantage out of your guilt as I can.”

Beca didn’t have a response, choosing to relax into it. She might as well enjoy it if the other girl didn’t want to let go either. The small sigh that escaped the redhead’s lips gave her a pleasant tickle on her neck.

“Beca, the reason I was happy to share the bed with you is because I trust you.” the older girl said. “It’s not something I offer to everyone, not even to my other friends.”

Despite their heart to heart, the pair figured that Beca sleeping on the couch would be for the best, at least for now. Chloe was still reluctant about it and made sure to check that the brunette was comfortable about ten times too many before Beca had to force her to go to bed.

Soon enough, the sound of a light snore could be heard coming from the bedroom. Beca had yet to fall asleep, her thoughts scattering in her head. Usually, this meant another night struggling to get to sleep. However, tonight was different. Even though she was in a room that was not her own, laying on a couch and not sleeping, she was content.

Knowing that there was someone nearby, who wanted her there.


	5. Chapter 5

**Friday - April 22nd**

Over the past week at work, it had become a habit, during lulls in their schedule, to observe their co-workers. Not all of them, specifically the pair of girls sitting in the cubicle across from them, perhaps six steps away. Beca had been informed that the blonde, seemingly uptight one’s name was Aubrey. She always had a perfect posture, a quick stride and looked to be full of purpose at all times.

The other girl was very different. Stacie was her name. Tall brunette, the name mentioned most often by the males in the office, even by some of the females. Beca didn’t really appreciate the tone used to describe the girl. She had been caught in a conversation with her in the bathroom. Much like Chloe, Stacie was bubbly and talkative. Some around the office had commented on her overtly sexual nature in a negative way. Beca didn’t really see it like that. Stacie was proud of the way she carried herself, there was an ownership to her image. The musician found it admirable.

These two had provided Beca and Chloe with a strange type of entertainment. Theoretically, Aubrey should find Stacie to be deplorable. She was noticeably messier than the blonde, much louder and didn’t appear to be as skilled at the job. Their cubicle should have been a shouting cage on most days.

In reality, it was oddly quiet. Aubrey wasn’t as uptight when she was with Stacie. The fact that the other girl was slower than the blonde in certain situations didn’t seem to deter her. Chloe and Beca would sometimes hear Aubrey slowly explain things to Stacie, never becoming annoyed when she wasn’t able to grasp a concept. It was endearing.

Stacie, for her part, always looked to be in awe of her partner. Normally, Beca and Chloe could hear the brunette describing an event that happened the previous night, usually something mundane. Aubrey would continue to work, not looking like she was paying attention. When asked a question though, she would give short, accurate replies. However, when Aubrey was doing the talking, Stacie would only reply if needed, intently listening. Whenever she did something right, Aubrey would give her some small compliment, usually not even looking at her directly. If she did though, she would see Stacie’s face fill with happiness at gaining her approval.

“What’s happening today?” Beca asked, peeking around Chloe to get a better look at the other two girls.

“Stacie seems to be angry at her computer,” Chloe replied.

Beca looked curiously at Aubrey, who hadn’t even glanced at the annoyed girl next to her. “Why hasn’t she asked for Aubrey’s help?”

Chloe shrugged.

Shortly afterwards, even Aubrey seemed fed up with Stacie’s problem and looked to be aiming to help her. She was brutally rebuffed by the other girl who seemed to be intent on trying to fix the problem herself. The next minute, Chloe and Beca watched as the pair went back and forth with Aubrey attempting to help Stacie.

Eventually, Aubrey pushed the other girl away gently, took control of the computer and corrected the problem.

Stacie was visibly angry. Refusing to acknowledge the blonde. Aubrey returned to her own computer, seemingly not bothered by the reaction.

“Aubrey’s messed up big time,” Beca commented.

Chloe smiled. “I wouldn’t be so sure.” She gestured towards Stacie.

The animosity from her face had dissipated and she was looking at the blonde. She tapped her shoulder, getting her attention. The observing pair couldn’t make out the words spoken by Stacie but a small nod from Aubrey indicated that it was probably good.

Once Aubrey turned back to her work, the taller brunette was still looking at her. She moved her chair a little closer to the blonde before laying a small kiss on the cheek and returning to her own work.

This time, it was Stacie who would miss out on the joy she inflicted upon her co-worker. Luckily, Beca and Chloe were there to witness the normally composed girl blush and hold back her smile.

“They are so cute!” the redhead said.

Beca concurred.

* * *

Another week passes. Another week in which Beca found herself in Chloe’s house on at least three more occasions. All were work related but Beca complained less each time it happened.

 

**Friday - April 29th**

Chloe considered it a simple interaction to invite a friend over to her house. She had done it before with other co-workers at her previous jobs, with other students in college and with random people she had met at all sorts of other places. Basically, it wasn’t hard. When most people hear of free food and the chance for fun, they are on board.

Beca Mitchell wasn’t most people. She would be reluctant. Chloe had thought about the best way to approach her with the question. Doing it first thing in the morning would give the brunette too many opportunities to back out.

The clock was nearing five, when they would leave for the weekend.

“Beca, do you want to come over to my house?” Chloe asked.

Beca looked at her strangely. “But we’ve finished all our work.”

“I meant just to hang out.”

Beca grinned. “I’ve heard about that,” she said. “It’s what friends do, isn’t it?”

“I forgot you were the lone wolf type, who cannot be tamed by the normal conventions of friendship.”

Beca looked to be actually considering her proposal which surprised the older girl. Chloe had been prepared to beg, as desperate as that sounds. Just to seal the deal a little more, she decided to give Beca a push.

“I mean, it’s okay if you don’t want to.” She cast her eyes down. “I’ll just spend another Friday night alone, on my couch, slowly waiting for death,” she said, feigning sadness.

“You’re laying on the guilt here a little thick”

Chloe was not dissuaded. “I think I’ll stop on the way to pick up a bucket of ice cream, maybe shovelling that inside of me will make me happy.”

“I recommend ‘Ben and Jerry’s Phish Food’.”

The redhead groaned. “Come on, Becs, it’s not like I’m asking you do something crazy here.”

“Don’t you have other friends you could do this with?”

Chloe clenched her fists. This was starting to become somewhat frustrating. She opened her mouth, ready to deliver an angry response about how she had specifically asked Beca because she wanted to hang out with her and for the other girl to take that as a compliment and just say yes. Just for once.

She was cut off by the brunette. “I’m kidding, Chlo,” she said. “I’ll come over.”

The redhead frowned. She was not amused at having to work for something she herself was offering. “Do you think you’ll be able to handle it?” she asked. “It’s clear that thing hanging out business isn’t really your forte. Since it’s your first time, we’ll just watch a movie or something.”

“I don’t like movies,” Beca replied.

“That’s ok.” Chloe thought about what else the pair could do, mentally going through her apartment looking for things to entertain her guest. A devious idea came to her, one she knew Beca wouldn’t like but she had agreed at this point and there was no backing out. Not on Chloe’s watch.

“We could have a sleepover!” she shouted. “I haven’t had one in years.”

It was Beca’s turn to groan.

* * *

Despite Beca’s hesitation, Chloe would swear the other girl was enjoying herself. The evening had started off with the brunette schooling Chloe on how to create the best hot chocolate. It was an arduous process that she felt was unnecessary right up until she tasted it. Flavour wise, it was a standard chocolatey taste right off the bat, certainly creamy but nothing special, then hints of strawberry came through, crystals of flavor dissolving in her mouth. It was glorious.

Chloe decided to go through all the stereotypical sleepover activities with Beca. Most of it would be new to her. First, makeovers. After some physical resistance, Chloe got her way. The redhead focused on accentuating Beca’s best features and actually tried to give her a proper makeover. She opted for green eyeshadow, black eyeliner, and a light pink lipstick.

Beca was gorgeous, that was one of the things Chloe had noticed about the other girl when they had first met. Also, she made it look effortless. There was an elegance to the way she carried herself. Chloe tried to capture that with her makeover. It wasn’t like her to take a fun activity so seriously but for some reason, she wanted to do Beca justice.

Her efforts were not in vain though. When the brunette looked in the mirror, Chloe could see the subtle widening of her eyes. She had definitely liked it.

Now it was Beca's turn. Chloe wasn’t expecting a regular makeover. She would have been disappointed if it was. To start, everything seemed normal. Beca chose a peach eyeshadow with a coral lipstick, things that worked well on the redhead. Then the weirdness began. Beca picked up the eyeliner pencil and began drawing. She started just below her eyes, using a lot of the pencil. Chloe could feel shapes being formed and then filled in. Throughout the procedure, Beca’s face was one of deep concentration, contorting Chloe’s head gently to see her work better.

Once she was done, Chloe looked in the mirror. Beca had drawn two vines just before her eyes that extended across her cheeks towards her ears. The vines had small leaves coming off them. Her forehead contained a larger leaf that extended down to the bridge of her nose.

“Beca, this is beautiful,” Chloe said. “I love it.”

“You sorta remind me of a nymph so I went for something natural looking.”

Nymphs. Mythological creatures usually depicted as beautiful young maidens who love to dance and sing. Their habitats are forests and streams and they tend to be mischievous. Free spirits. Chloe blushed. Only Beca would compare her to Greek and Latin spirits so nonchalantly.

Next activity. Talking about boys.

Chloe had planned this as a way to get to know if Beca was into anyone in the office. The redhead started off by talking about a made up person. She didn’t have her eye on anyone at the moment so this would have to do. There were mentions of Jake Gyllenhaal, Benedict Cumberbatch and Daniel Craig to make it seem more realistic.

Beca decided to take the name of the game literally and began talking about Abraham Lincoln. The next ten minutes were spent with Chloe getting no closer to learning about Beca and gaining a vast amount of useless knowledge about Honest Abe.

From the look on her face, Beca must have thought her joke was hilarious.

Chloe quickly shifted them to playing truth or dare.

Predictably, Beca went with dare. Chloe started simply with the cinnamon challenge. One tablespoon of ground cinnamon was administered orally. Beca didn’t make the rookie mistake of breathing in which would cause her to cough. Unfortunately, she was not able to produce enough saliva to swallow and had to spit it out.

Because Beca chickened out and went with dare, Chloe did the same. Beca asked her to eat a raw egg. It seemed simple enough. She cracked the egg into a bowl and spooned it into her mouth. It went down quickly and Chloe thought she had won. This was when the brunette grinned mischievously. Beca began talking about salmonella and how raw eggs are notorious for brimming with them. Salmonella discussion quickly shifted to food poisoning and the symptoms of said illness.

Chloe couldn’t keep her eggs down for much longer and spent time retching into the toilet. Beca held back her hair, trying not to laugh.

The older girl chose not to speak to the brunette for a while afterwards. Beca made her a cup of ginger tea to make her feel better along with an apology. There was still a lingering smile at the corners of her mouth.

Once Chloe had finished sulking, she suggested binge watching tv shows. Beca didn’t object to this, settling down into the couch. Chloe got the pair a blanket and they snuggled up together. She rested her head on Beca’s lap as they watched the screen. The redhead felt it was justifiable compensation for the egg incident. No complaints came from Beca, she just smiled at her.

Once it got to around eleven o’clock, Chloe had begun to fall asleep. The last time she had organised a sleepover, she was around thirteen, full of energy and able to stay up all night. Now, with a nine to five job and responsibilities, even their small slew of activities took it out of her.

A fight was about to ensue in a second so she needed to jolt herself up for the next few minutes.

“Beca, there is enough room on my bed for the both of us, do you want to share it with me?” She asked tentatively. Previously, when this topic had been broached, Beca had reacted poorly. It had hurt, she wasn’t going to admit it to the other girl but it had.

Beca nodded. “If I do anything weird during the night, don’t hesitate to kick me off.”

The pair changed into their pyjamas. Chloe's were a very light shade of pink with puppies on them. Beca wore polka dot night shorts with a grey shirt.

Beca was looking around Chloe’s bedroom. The redhead had loved it the moment she had set foot in it. The bed was adjacent to the far wall in the center. When Chloe work up, she would be able to see the view of the park as it stretched across before hitting city blocks as sunlight beamed through the window. The walls were a beige which allowed any light to be reflected creating a warmer, more natural glow. The moonlight did the same thing. Other than that, she had a wooden wardrobe and a bedside table.

It was sparse and she liked it that way, it made the room seem much bigger than it was.

Once in bed, the first minute of sharing was awkward at best. Beca laid rigidly looking straight up. It was clear that she still wasn’t completely comfortable with the situation. Chloe appreciated that the brunette had been willing to do this for her.

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t do either of them any good for her to remain in that condition. Beca wouldn’t get any sleep and Chloe would spend time worrying about Beca’s comfort meaning she would also get no sleep.

The redhead needed to make the other girl relax.

“Tell me about something that worries you,” Chloe asked, still looking up to the ceiling.

“Right out of the blue, what brought on the question?”

Chloe turned to face Beca on the bed. “It’s just, I don’t want our friendship to be superficial, you know?” Beca looked at her skeptically from the corner of her eye. “I want to be the person that you feel you can share anything with,” she continued. “I don’t want our friendship to be just us joking around the office. I want you to come to me when you’re not having a good day, or when you just want someone to talk to.”

Chloe searched Beca’s eyes, looking for any sign that her message got through.

“I guess that’s my worry. That our friendship will turn into all my other ones. Friends just because I know them. Because I have them as a friend on Facebook. Acquaintances at best,” Chloe finished. She regretted saying the words. They sounded needy and had the potential to spoil what had been a nice evening.

Beca was smiling though, still looking at the ceiling. “Our friendship isn’t superficial,” she said. “Because I only have one friend and it feels like she’s all I’ll ever need.”

The brunette had pressed a shotgun over her chest, right above her heart and pulled the trigger. Chloe’s mind was still reeling from the words, unsure if she had heard right. Her blood vessels were filled with gunpowder that had just been ignited and all that energy needed to go somewhere.

She flung herself at the unsuspecting girl, smothering her in an embrace. It was an uncontrollable force guiding her, not that she was putting up much resistance. Beca was giggling from underneath her. Chloe nuzzled her face against the other girl’s neck.

“I can understand why you don’t say things like that often,” Chloe said. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

Beca just continued laughing.

“Well?” The redhead asked expectantly.

“Well what?”

Chloe rolled off the girl who was probably struggling to breathe. She still kept rather close to her though. She noted that Beca was far more relaxed than earlier, now looking at her instead of straight up.

“Are you gonna tell me about something that worries you?”

Beca looked to be thinking about her answer.

“I feel like I’m wasting my time,” she finally said. Beca now looked dispirited, the smile from earlier practically vaporized.

“How so?”

The brunette sighed. “I’m spending eight hours a day on a job I don’t really care all that much about. My passion is in music and I haven’t done anything coherent in years, not counting two weeks ago. Combine the eight hours of work with the eight hours of sleep I’m supposed to be getting and I’m spending two-thirds of my life doing nothing of value.”

“Why’re you still working at Pitch Perfect then?”

“Job security mostly. I couldn’t depend on my mother for the rest of my life and who knows how well my musical career would have gone.”

Chloe got up from the bed suddenly and walked over to one of the cupboards. She knelt down to one of the lower drawers where she kept a bunch of miscellaneous things that had nowhere else to go.

In the back corner was a small varnished wooden box with a golden metal latch.

The lamp next to the bed was turned on illuminating the bed. Chloe placed the box in between the two of them. Beca sat up against the headboard waiting patiently.

The redhead unhooked the latch and opened the box. Inside, the contents looked to be leaves made from a soft fabric. The leaves were all different colors, mostly different shades of green like lime, jade and emerald. There were a few red and yellow ones as well.

Chloe began moving the leaves away to reveal what they were obfuscating. A clay object similar to the shape of a teardrop. On one side were orifices scattered seemingly at random. It was green in shade much like the leaves but there was a brightness to the color that shone in the light. The other side of the object had a peacock on it, the blue of it glittered.

“This is my ocarina. My little brother wanted one after playing some game. Being young at the time, he got bored of it within a week,” she explained. “Eventually, it ended up in my possession and I’ve kept it since.”

“Are you any good at it?”

“Back when I first got it, I spent some time trying to play it but could never get the hang of it. To be fair, I didn’t try very hard.” Chloe then handed the ocarina to Beca.

The brunette handled the instrument delicately, her eyes were lit up. Chloe felt like she had made the right decision.

“I’ve had it since I was 9,” She said. “And I want you to have it.”

Those same eyes shot up to meet hers. “Why?”

Chloe took one of Beca’s hand into her own, feeling the warmth of her friend against her. It had become one of her favorite things. It just felt right sometimes. She’d begun to do it subconsciously, reaching for the other girl’s hand, almost like she needed confirmation that Beca was there.

“Because you’ll be much better at it than I ever could be. It’ll give you an incentive to work on your music, knowing that by not learning to play it, you’re letting my gift go unappreciated.”

Beca played with the ocarina with her free hand, running her fingers over the holes and the peacock. “Thank you, I don’t feel right taking this from you. It must mean something if you kept it for so long.”

Chloe grinned. “It does mean a lot to me but I could never work out why,” she said. “Now I know. I think it was waiting for you. For me to give it to you.”

“You’re putting a lot of faith in me when I’ve given you no reason to,” Beca replied. Chloe wanted to argue against it but the brunette had more to say. “I’ll try not to mess it up.”

“Me too.”

A quick lesson on how to use the instrument was given. Chloe didn’t know much apart from how to hold it and where to blow. Even with that paltry amount of instruction, Beca took to it naturally. She couldn’t play much more than a note but she had picked it up faster than the redhead had.

Throughout the rest of the night, there was something different about Beca. Whenever Chloe looked into her eyes, there was something there. The hour was late and the two of them were beyond exhausted but Beca’s eyes didn’t display any such characteristics. It was most prevalent when the two made direct eye contact.

Chloe wasn’t sure if Beca was aware it was happening but whatever it was, the redhead found it difficult to look away, she was intrigued.

Chloe liked it. It was comforting.

Later into the night than planned, they fell asleep. It was only after they both agreed to shut up so that sleep would come to them. This was followed by poking, provoking the other to talk and generally messing around. Basically doing anything but sleeping.

Chloe awoke in the middle of the night to find her limbs entangled comfortably with Beca’s

She felt safe. This was strange because she lived in a good neighbourhood and for all intents and purposes, she had felt safe before Beca was there.

No, safe wasn’t the right word to use. Comfortable was correct but didn’t encompass the feeling. The same could be said for warm.

The time combined with Beca’s arms around her weren’t really allowing her to think clearly about something this complex but she persevered. Nuzzling against her friend, she inhaled slowly, allowing herself to indulge in Beca’s scent.

It wasn’t a feeling. More a fact that had become apparent to her. It explained why she had been so eager for Beca to visit her home, why she had felt strange when Beca took the couch each time.

Beca belonged here.

That was the only answer she needed.

She lifted herself off the bed a little so she could get a view of the brunette’s face. The light from the window illuminated Beca’s face. Her hands moved a little at the change in their positions, like she was mourning the loss of the presence next to her.

As she looked at the peaceful girl on her bed, Chloe was almost sure that Beca would never find out just how glad she was that Beca was there.

_Part of me wants to find out why I’m drawn to you._

_Part of me wants to just indulge in the moment._

_No part of me wants you to leave._


	6. Chapter 6

**Monday - May 2nd**

On Monday, Chloe had suggested getting Pizza together. Apparently spending Friday night, all of Saturday and texting each other on Sunday wasn't enough. Beca was more than happy to oblige, her continuing to act like spending time with Chloe was a chore in an attempt to seem like a cold badass wasn’t working very well. It would have been a great plan but the redhead’s ability to turn her to mush with just a look made the whole thing seem like a facade.

Right after work, the pair made their way to Ezio’s Empire. A flashy name for a pretty standard pizza place. The food took around half an hour to prepare, time which was spent with Chloe resting her head against the brunette’s shoulder and sleeping. Beca’s complaints that she was also tired were unheard.

After collecting the pizzas, the two began walking to Chloe’s apartment.

“I don’t have much planned today, I was hoping to just snuggle up on the couch and watch tv while we stuff ourselves and I lapse into a pizza induced coma,” Chloe said.

“Sounds good.”

The rain earlier in the day had made the streets somewhat empty.

The city was blanketed in cloud cover, reducing the amount of sunlight coming to the ground. Everything was damp from the precipitation earlier. The normally manufactured smell of the environment had been washed away by it as well.

A shifty looking man was heading in their direction. The route to the redhead’s house wasn’t a major street so there was perhaps two other people that Beca could see. The man was clean shaven and a few inches taller than Chloe. He had a pale, rough complexion. Donned in a black baseball cap, sweatpants, and a hooded sweatshirt, he was hiding something in his pocket, constantly fiddling with it.

“Anything you want to watch in particular?” Chloe asked. She hadn’t noticed the man, her eyes looking Beca’s way. She didn’t answer, distracted.

He was also looking directly at the two of them.

As they were about to pass the man, he stopped and blocked their path. Alarm bells immediately sounded off inside Beca’s head, she also stopped, stepping back. The contents of his pocket were revealed. A switchblade, now pointed at them.

“Don’t scream, either of you,” he said. Beca complied, quickly checking Chloe’s condition. She had jumped a little but she seemed cautious more than fearful at the moment.

Once the man seemed satisfied, he moved a little closer. “The handbag, pass it over.” He was pointing at the taller girl’s handbag.

Chloe hesitated, more due to surprise than unwillingness. "Now!" He shouted, moving closer.

“O-Okay,” she said.

Beca considered herself a rational person. Someone who thought out their actions beforehand. Determining the pros and cons of a situation and only proceeding with actions that would be a net gain. Her next action made her question how rational she truly was.

Chloe slowly took the handbag off her shoulder and extended her arm out.

The moment the handbag was touched by their thief, Beca threw the pizza boxes at him. It had caught him by surprise so she lunged. She managed to knock the guy over and kept her hand firmly grasping his wrist to stop herself from being cut.

Seconds after landing on the ground, the extent of her mistake became apparent to her and she cursed her small size. The man managed to overpower her wrist and move the blade, it slicing through her clothing and down her arm. The initial stabbing motion had been strong, she could feel it hit her bone.

"Ahhh!" She cried out in pain and the blood started pouring.

The assailant took the opportunity to move on top of her and smash her head against the cold pavement, effectively stopping her resistance.

The hit disoriented her, blacking out her vision for a moment.

Once it returned, she could only watch helplessly as he positioned the blade, now free to be used in any way he wished, above her other arm, ready to sink into her flesh.

Fortunately, what looked to be a heeled shoe came flying towards his face, its momentum stopping him with a satisfying smack. Moments later, a shoeless foot also collides with his face.

The kick stopped him. He fell off from her and the sound of his switchblade could be heard hitting the ground. More movement, another shoe flying over her vision and she could see that Chloe was standing above her with the weapon now in her hand.

“Run!” she shouted, her voice firm and angry.

Thier attacker was more than happy to satisfy her request, scurrying away.

She knelt down next to the younger girl and put her hand to her cheek. “Beca, are you ok?”

Beca replied shortly, her head still spinning a little. “I’ll live.”

“I’m calling an ambulance.”

Chloe began dialing the number and speaking with the operator, giving Beca time to inspect her injury. She was bleeding badly. The cut was deep and extended from her bicep towards her wrist.

Once the redhead was done with the call, she moved back towards her.

"Hold still and try to reduce your heart rate. You'll lose more blood if it's pumping around your body faster," she said.

Chloe then ripped off the sleeves of Beca's shirt and attempted to create a temporary bandage.

With the impromptu solution in place, Beca found her head being lifted and placed in the other girl’s lap. Hands began to run through her hair and stroke her face.

"Try and stay calm, Becs. Help will be here soon."  

The emergency vehicle arrived shortly after, Beca was escorted into the back of it while Chloe clarified the situation to the paramedics. They helped her file a police report of the incident before she climbed into the back with the brunette.

As they travelled to the hospital, she listened to the paramedics as they explained her injuries. She was going to be fine but she needed medical attention, stitches to be specific. It would be a short process. They would also need to check for a concussion due to the head injury. They told her that the blood loss would make her woozy.

Beca glanced over at Chloe a few times during the information dump. She was surprised to see fear in the other girl’s eyes. During the altercation earlier, Chloe hadn’t even flinched. She had jumped into action incredibly quickly and basically stopped her untimely death. But now, she was looking at her injuries with real worry.

“Chloe,” Beca said. Chloe moved her eyes away from the injuries. “Thank you for saving my life.”

She smiled. “Not now, Beca. You focus on recovering.”

 

* * *

The brunette was taken to a bed at the hospital. Firstly, they stitched up her arm before wrapping it in bandages. The nurse told her to take it slowly and to get some food in her soon to recover from the blood loss. Also, no messing around with the bandages.

Secondly, they checked to see if she had a concussion. Tests of her vision, hearing, strength, sensation, balance, coordination and reflexes were conducted.

She failed. It seemed the blow to the head did a lot more than she thought. The nurse requested that she take time off work. Paracetamol was recommended to control the pain. Most importantly, she needed to get some proper rest and only return to work when she was able.

Chloe had been waiting in the lounge. Only after the nurses insisted that Beca would be fine and that they needed the space to do their job. The shorter girl had watched the argument with a smile on her face.

After all the checks had been done, the redhead was allowed to see her.

She walked in slowly, looking at Beca with concern but smiling once she realized that the other girl was awake. Sitting down next to the bed, she took her hand. Beca had noticed that Chloe had been doing this more and more. It was usually accompanied by a quiet, sincere moment.

“Thanks again Chlo.”

That peaceful, concerned face turned on a dime.

“What were you thinking?!” Chloe shouted.

“He-” Beca tried to explain.

“He had a knife pointed at us and you thought to jump him!” So Chloe was mad.

“I didn’t want him to rob you.” The reason had sounded much better in her head and on the street. Perhaps it was her delivery.

“Beca, this is the twenty-first century. Everything in my handbag is replaceable, I can cancel my cards, I can get a new phone. I don’t need to anymore but it wouldn’t have been a big deal if I did have to,” the redhead said. “What isn’t replaceable though is you. I don’t need you to be a hero and nearly get yourself killed.”

Beca smiled. “You’re angry cos I dropped the pizza, right?”

“I’m trying to be mad here so shut up for a second.” The brunette did as was told. “Seriously though, don’t put yourself in danger like that. That’s not bravery, that’s just stupid.”

The older girl surrounded Beca’s hand in both of hers. “You had me so worried, Becs,” she whispered, looking at the way their hands intertwined. Her eyes were watering.

Beca felt bad for the first time since the incident. It was no problem for her to injure herself, she did that by herself on most weeks. But she had caused her friend to worry unnecessarily as well as put them both in danger. She had been a complete moron and it took Chloe being unhappy for her to finally realize it.

“I’m sorry, Chlo.”

Chloe looked at her. “Beca, you don’t have to be my hero. That’s not why I like you. It’s not even in my top one hundred.”

They stayed like that for a while. Beca really didn’t have much more to say to her friend. She had messed up.

An idea that she had been throwing around her head since her teenage years was if her isolation had caused her to become desensitized to people and their feelings. It would explain why she felt the need to do things like this, to prove to herself that she could still care. She got her proof today and it wasn’t from her failed heroism, it was from seeing Chloe’s worried face and knowing she had caused the distress.

She cared about the redhead’s feelings.

A couple of years ago, she had been reading an article about a concept known as the Monkeysphere. It explained an idea where everyone had a cross-section of people that they were especially close to. This specific set was within the Monkeysphere. If something troubling were to happen to someone within your sphere, the reaction you would have would be greater than for those outside of the sphere. Basically, you care far more about your close friends than other people, even if both were involved with the same problem.

It appeared that Chloe had entered her Monkeysphere.

“Right, the nurse told me you can get discharged in a few minutes and then you’re staying with me for the next two days,” she said.

“I think I can take care of myself.”

Chloe grinned. “It’s not up to you, Doctor’s orders. You need someone to look after you for the next forty-eight hours”

“You’re enjoying this aren’t you?”

Chloe fake gasped. “How could you even imply such a thing?”

Beca watched as the redhead was given instruction on things like what medication to give her. A taxi was called and the brunette was wheeled into it. She fell asleep shortly afterwards against the taller girl.

* * *

Beca stayed at Chloe’s house for two days. She spent the first day complaining about how boring it was not being able to do anything. Chloe just smiled at her complaints and tried to keep her satiated with chicken soup and hot chocolate.

Chloe considered it a success whenever she got the other girl to fall asleep, usually in her arms.

After the first two days, Beca was transported back to her own home to rest for the remainder of the week. Chloe was glad she had taken the nurse’s advice. She made sure to check up on her every couple of days to make sure she was alright and most importantly not doing anything strenuous. Texts were sent every night to remind her to go to sleep.

 

**Tuesday - May 10th**

“Stop being excited,” Beca said.

Chloe had been waiting for today all week. “But you’re finally back!”

“Chlo, you pretty much saw me every day for the past week.”

She had missed working with the other girl. Without Beca, work actually felt like work. Chloe even found herself reaching for the other girl’s hand or moving her chair closer to the empty one to try and get her feet closer to the brunette’s warmer ones.

She refused to let this moment be a simple welcome and enveloped her in a big hug. Beca giggled and reciprocated almost immediately. “I missed you too, Chloe.”

The pair returned to work shortly afterwards after Beca put forth the crazy notion that perhaps they should get something done today. Chloe quickly informed her co-worker on what she had missed regarding work. She also updated her on the status of Stacie and Aubrey. Beca still refused to call them Staubrey but the redhead would use it enough that it becomes cemented.

The first thing Chloe wanted to tackle was a problem she had been having with their project. It was something Beca could easily fix had she been there.

They got to work immediately. Chloe focused on her own part and they fell back into their old rhythm. Without Beca, her work rate had slowed. Not just due to the lack of another pair of hands but because Beca had a way of motivating her. She was never bored working with her, even when the work was especially monotonous.

Beca finished the task within a few minutes, not even breaking a sweat. Obviously the two of them were good at different things but Chloe was always impressed by the brunette’s focus.

“Thanks, Beca,” she said. Absentmindedly, she leaned closer before placing her lips against the Beca’s cheek. She registered soft skin. This close, she could smell the other girl’s fruity perfume.

The lips were removed almost as quickly as they were placed. It was a quick peck and Chloe’s mind only registered her action a moment later. She turned to look at her co-worker to see a bright red Beca, currently not looking at her.

“I am so sorry, I didn’t even mean to...” Chloe really hadn’t meant to. She had just associated thanking Beca with a peck on the cheek.

“It’s okay.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

Chloe continued to worry. She might have scared off her friend or overstepped some boundary. Co-workers don’t kiss each other. Friends don’t kiss each other for that matter. Well, they do sometimes but Beca wasn't that type of person.

“I didn’t overstep any bounds did I?” Chloe asked.

“No.”

“You’re not weirded out?”

“Nope,” Beca said, her responses had been short so far but the blush was beginning to fade.

“Are you-"

“Let it go, Chloe.”

The thing was, the older girl wasn’t capable. Beca didn’t usually speak her mind without a push and this incident certainly affected her and Chloe needed to know how.

“I just feel like I’ve done something wrong and you’re not telling me,” Chloe said.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Chlo,” Beca argued, now sounding slightly annoyed.

Chloe observed Beca for a few seconds to try and gauge her actual feelings. Usually it was easy but she wasn’t completely sure about the current condition. Most of the time, Chloe knew what reaction she was going to get out of the brunette because she had purposefully caused it. Usually, it was to embarrass her friend.

Now she had gone and done something instinctively and she had no idea how it was being perceived.

“I’d feel better if you’d just tell me exactly how you felt about the kiss,” Chloe argued.

“This is ridiculous,” Beca said. She then grinned at the redhead. “Although, it is a nice change of pace for you to be the insecure one.”

Chloe fumed. “I’m not insecure and stop deflecting.”

The shorter girl sighed. “Fine.” She turned to look at Chloe. “Like all your other displays of affection, I was surprised by it but I liked it.” Chloe was relieved. “When you said that you didn’t mean to do it, it made me feel really good.”

Chloe looked at her in confusion. “Why?”

“Because it was something you did without even thinking about it. I thought it might mean that you felt comfortable enough with me to just give me a quick peck on the cheek. That idea made me really happy, even if it isn’t actually the case.” Beca’s blush had returned.

“Oh.” The older girl felt a little dumb. “Sorry about the outburst,” she said.

“It’s fine, can we get back to work now?”

Chloe nodded. She then leaned over again and pressed her lips against Beca’s cheek, this time with purpose. Her hand, which had missed contact with its companion, found its way to Beca's.

The blush returned.

“For the record, what you thought was correct,” Chloe said. Beca just smiled at her, the blush intensifying a little.

The brunette didn’t talk for a few minutes and Chloe allowed her that time to recover.

So in conclusion, Beca was a big softy and only Chloe got to see it. The other girl had a way of making the redhead feel good about herself in a lot of strange ways.

Cheek kisses meant something had changed for Chloe. She didn't have time to process the first one fully because she was worried about Beca’s reception to it. After the second one, she wanted to elicit that reaction from the brunette as much as possible.

As she watched Beca work, Chloe began to realize just how much she had missed her. She was getting attached and it felt wonderful. This was a strange notion, to become dependent should be considered a negative but with Beca, it didn’t.

* * *

**Wednesday - May 11th**

Several days of hot weather evaporates the water in the ocean. This water vapour floats up because it is lighter than air and forms clouds. These clouds eventually float above cities. The water vapour is released as raindrops when the molecules gather in a high enough density to become heavy enough to fall.

This process occurred today. Beca watched from her cubicle as she waited for her partner. Chloe usually walked to the office and had no doubt been caught by the rain.

Beca had time to think about the kiss from yesterday. Specifically the first one. It had caught her by surprise. She hadn’t found it odd though. When it happened, it had seemed like such a natural action on Chloe’s part and Beca hadn’t even given it a second thought. It was only when the redhead had apologized did she realize that something abnormal had happened.

The second kiss had felt just as fantastic as the first for a different reason. While the first was subconscious, something Chloe did because she had felt comfortable around her, the second was done deliberately. It meant that Beca’s honesty regarding the first kiss had worked and the other girl wasn’t going to be cautious around the brunette because of the first accidental kiss. The last thing Beca wanted was for Chloe to not be Chloe.

To put simply, she liked being kissed by Chloe. It was just nice to invent a bunch of reasons for why she enjoyed them.

Speaking of Chloe, she walked in a few minutes later, all of her soaked apart from her hair. She still had a bright smile on her face, clearly undeterred by her current state. As she sat down, Beca remembered one of the reasons she loved the rain.

Rain tends to enhance scent. This is because the water on wet things, such as cloths and skin, eventually evaporate. This helps to transport the molecules that spread the scent of something more easily.

Chloe always smelled fantastic. It wasn’t a choice of perfume thing. It was just a scent that Beca had become accustomed to. The redhead’s need to invade her personal bubble meant that she and the scent had gotten to know each other well. Even when Chloe wore some type of perfume like today, her natural one came through. For Beca, it had become associated with happiness, having a calming effect on her.

Pheromones were what caused it. She had done some research in order to understand it.

Today, Chloe’s pheromones were especially prevalent, causing Beca’s breathing to become more relaxed. It was scary how effective it was.

“Sorry I’m late, the rain did a number on me,” Chloe said. Her blazer was soaked, possibly having been used to cover her head. It had done a good job of keeping her hair dry but her blouse had patches of wetness. The white material had become transparent and Beca could see parts of the other girl’s underwear through it.

Beca took off her blazer. “You might want to put this on.” She handed it to the soaked girl.

“Why?”

Instead of a verbal response, Beca just pointed at the see-through clothing.

“Oh!” Chloe grabbed the blazer and quickly covered herself up. “Thanks. It’s nice and warm too.” She hugged herself.

Throughout the rest of the day, as the water evaporated from the older girl’s body, Beca remained happy. Chloe even commented on how especially calm Beca was today. The brunette decided that revealing her findings would make her seem creepy.

Even once she was reasonably dry and midday brought some warmth into the office, Chloe didn’t give back the blazer. Beca chose not to comment on it.

Around three o’clock, she went on a coffee run to help her get through the rest of the day. As she was returning, she realized that Chloe was doing something peculiar with her blazer. The redhead had not realized that she was being watched. She was resting her head against her arms on the desk, almost like she was trying to get some sleep. Her eyes were open though. She slowly inhaled, her nose pressed against the fabric of the blazer. As she did this, her eyes slowly shut and she smiled.

Beca sitting down brought her out of her stupor.

“Here’s your tea,” Beca said, placing the beverage on the desk.

“Thanks.”

“What were you doing?”

“Nothing.” Chloe’s skills at hiding her guilt could use some work.

“Chloe,” Beca said firmly.

“I wasn’t doing anything.”

“Really? Because it looked like you were smelling my blazer.”

Chloe blushed, it was a rare sight. “Maybe I was.”

“Any reason?”

The redhead finally made eye contact. “Promise you won’t think I’m weird.”

“Too late,” Beca said. Chloe playfully shoved the smaller girl. “Sorry, what’s the reason?”

“I just like the smell is all, I don’t know why but you always smell really nice. When you gave me the blazer earlier, it had your scent on it. I know that sounds super creepy but it’s the truth.”

“I see.”

“What perfume do you use? It has an uplifting quality kinda like jasmine but it smells nothing like it.” Chloe inhaled again, her nose against the fabric.

Beca smiled. She didn’t wear perfume.


	7. Chapter 7

Over the course of the week, Beca finds herself spending more time at Chloe’s apartment after work. Pretty much every day in fact. Most of the time, the redhead ends up begging her to stay over because it’s too late for her to go home. She resists.

Sometimes.

**Thursday - May 19th**

An email was received after lunch. It requested that Beca Mitchell and Chloe Beale of the advertising department report to the Human Resources office to meet with their Employee Relations Manager, Harriet Everston.

The room was located near the center of the floor, next to the elevators.

The email didn’t include a reason for the meeting. The two of them talked about what it could be on the way. Beca had initially thought it was because of her grouchy attitude but that didn’t make sense with Chloe there as well. The brunette pretended to be hurt when the other girl had asked if she had killed someone. Apparently murder wasn’t considered far-fetched for Beca.

Stepping into the office, the pair of them were greeted to the sight of Harriet Everston, sitting behind her desk. She was a stout lady, probably in her early forties. She was smiling and there was friendly demeanour to her.

“Beca, Chloe, please take a seat,” she said, pointing at the two chairs in front of her.

They sat down. “What’s this about?” Beca asked.

Harriet began shuffling papers on her desk until she pulled out two forms, one white and one yellow. She then turned to look at them.

“It had come to my attention that the two of you are spending a lot of time together outside of work. Is this correct?”

“Yes,” They answered in unison. The brunette was still confused and from the look on Chloe’s face, so was she.

“Furthermore, other employees have observed the two of you holding hands, hugging and kissing. Is this also true?”

Only Chloe answered this time, a smile directed towards Beca. “Yes.”

Harriet turned to the redhead. “Now Miss Beale, I was told that you and Miss Mitchell adopted a pet together. I’m not sure of the animal but apparently it’s called Bad Trombonist. How long ago was this?”

Chloe giggled. “It’s not a pet, it’s a teddy bear and that was about a month ago.”

The brunette groaned. So her co-worker had told other people about the bear. Not only that, she had told them they adopted it together. Adopted!

“I see.” Harriet quickly wrote something on one of the forms.

Beca turned to look at the redhead. She was clearly enjoying this.

“Were the two of you in a relationship prior to working at Pitch Perfect?” Harriet asked.

The question even seemed to surprise Chloe. “What?”

“Were you two romantically involved before working for this company?” The second phrasing of the question didn’t exactly help matters.

“Miss Everston, Chloe and I are not in a relationship of that kind, we’re just friends,” Beca corrected.

Harriet’s smile grew. “You don’t have to hide it from us, you guys aren’t in trouble. We just need it registered. It’s company policy.”

“We’re not hiding it from you, we’re really just friends.”

“Our company is incredibly welcoming of homosexual couples so you-”

“Miss Everston! We’re not in a relationship,” Beca interjected firmly. She took a quick glance at Chloe who appeared to be holding back her laughter.

Harriet looked at the both of the confused. “Really?”

“Yes!”

“Oh, my mistake then. I thought for sure that you girls were together. You too make an adorable couple. I guess the rumors were just rumors.”

Harriet questioned the pair regarding the rumors just to clarify the situation. Beca could tell that Chloe hadn’t taken offense at the accusations. She didn’t try to distance herself from the brunette during the questioning and talked of their relationship positively. She would occasionally glance at her and smile when she was recounting a tale about the two of them, like naming the bear or their sleepover.

“Could I have the names of all the people who told you about us?” Beca asked.

“I’m afraid that’s confidential. I wouldn’t be able to operate if I didn’t make this space feel safe.”

“Then at least tell those people to mind their own business.”

“With things like this, it’s usually a small rumor that grows as it gets passed around. I’m sure it wasn’t done maliciously but we need to investigate anything that comes our way.”

With that, she walked out, followed by a very happy redhead.

As they sat down at their desks again, Chloe was about to speak.

“Not a word out of you,” Beca said, cutting her off.

“What happened?” Chloe was smirking.

“I hate you, that’s what happened.”

“Aww, does Badass Beca not like that people know she’s really a big softy?”

The best thing to do in this situation was to ignore the teasing. She wouldn’t be taken in by it. She turned to her work and continued where she left off.

“Does this mean no more hand holding or hugs?” Chloe asked. Her question sounded serious.

“Why would we have to stop?”

“Don’t you have a persona to maintain?”

Beca had been thinking about the way the two of them had been perceived by the other people in the office ever since the meeting. She was surprised to find that she really didn’t care that other people thought they were romantically involved. It only reaffirmed how close she felt to the other girl. It wasn’t just her imagining it, other people saw it too. Even Chloe didn’t seem all that bothered by the accusation.

“I’m not going to stop doing things with you because of what other people might think,” Beca said, her eyes focused on the screen in front of her.

“That might be the most badass thing you’ve ever said,” Chloe beamed, launching herself at the other girl for a hug.

The idea of reducing the amount of time with this amazing women was unfathomable. As she felt the redhead pressed against her, holding her firmly, she knew that Chloe wouldn’t have even let her try.

“Have you been telling other people that we adopted Bad Trombonist?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Chloe replied, breaking the embrace and returning to work.

“I’m sure you don’t.” If Chloe was going to lie about that, Beca was going to lie about being mad.

 

* * *

**Friday - May 27th**

According to Chloe, spending every day cooped up in your own home isn’t a good way to live your life. Apparently, sometimes you need to go outside and experience the world. This had been the rationale for going to a local club. Beca had allowed the redhead to beg for most of the day. She had planned on saying yes almost straight away but watching Chloe try to negotiate with her was much more fun.

It would be good to do something a little different. Chloe’s influence on her was becoming increasingly apparent.

Now here she was, walking to the club in a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, a white top and a black moto jacket. Chloe wore a sleeveless pink dress that finished just above her knees.

The bouncer gave Beca the stink eye at the door but she figured that had more to do with the sour look she was giving him than anything else. Luckily, Chloe was there to smile and be super cheery, allowing them entry inside.

The inside was dimly lit with alternating brightly colored lights that spread across the room in beams. It was densely packed, a sea of people stretching across the room and at the end of it, a raised stage with a DJ.

The pair navigated through the crowd to the bar. It was in the corner. The countertop was glass with a bright light underneath it.

Chloe got the attention of one of the bartenders and ordered drinks. She then turned to Beca.

“You wanna dance?” she asked.

Beca hesitated. “Umm sure. I’m not the best at it though.”

“That’s fine, no one else will be paying attention to you apart from me and I already know you're an awkward mess so it’ll be fine.”

“What do you mean no one will be paying attention to me?”

Chloe just smiled and dragged her to the dance floor. Beca was told to focus on the redhead and not worry about what other people were thinking. Eventually, with a pinch of alcohol, she relaxed into the activity. She wouldn’t say she enjoyed the dancing particularly but it was nice to be outside with Chloe and doing something active for a change. That DJ could do with some instruction though, he was all over the place.

During a break to catch their breath, Chloe noticed someone.

“Hey look,” she said, pointing towards two girls further down the bar.

It was Aubrey and Stacie. The blonde seemed to be resisting the other girl who was tugging at her arm.

Beca found herself being dragged in their direction. Stacie noticed them approaching and redirected her attention towards them.

“Hey, you two. Wasn’t expecting to see you here,” she said, the second part being directed at Beca. “How much of a fight did she put up?” she asked Chloe.

“The whole day actually. Then as we were about to leave, she said it would be a good idea to go to the club like I hadn’t been suggesting it all damn day,” The redhead replied. Stacie laughed.

Beca looked at Aubrey who seemed annoyed at something. “Hey, Aubrey.”

“Hi.” The blonde replied curtly.

“Oh, don’t bother talking to her, she’s moody from work. She doesn’t even want to dance with me,” Stacie said.

Chloe grabbed Beca’s hand. “Come on Stace, Beca’s tired and I want to dance with someone good.”

“Excuse me?!”

Chloe giggled before pulling Stacie away with her. Now it was just Beca and the unhappy blonde.

She had grown to like Aubrey. At first, she seemed to not really care about anyone but herself and was far too uptight. Having creepily stared at her, with Chloe to make it less so, she determined that Aubrey was much nicer than she let on. Furthermore, Chloe had become good friends with the girl and would speak to her on most days in the office. Apparently she was very friendly once you got to know her.

Currently, Aubrey was staring at her drink, still unhappy. Beca decided to cheer her up once she got over how strange that sounded in her head.

“What exactly happened at work?” she inquired.

“Nothing actually, that’s sort of the problem.” Aubrey took a sip of her drink.

“How so?”

“I’ve been asking for tougher clients at work, just to challenge us, you know? Luke keeps shooting me down. I wouldn’t be so mad if he didn’t give the opportunities to other people in our department.”

“I could ask Chloe to talk to him, I think he’s scared of her.”

Aubrey actually giggled. “She told me about that, it was incredibly stupid of her. She could have gotten fired.” She then turned to look at Beca. “Although, it’s not as bad as what you did.”

“She told you?”

“I asked why you hadn’t shown up and she told me. She seemed mad,” Aubrey said.

“She was. And rightly so.”

She leaned closer, an unnecessary action in a loud club. “Chloe described it as though it was the craziest thing she had seen anyone do but I kinda get why you did it,” she whispered, smiling.

Beca knew that even Chloe understood why she did it. The redhead's anger at the situation was to ensure that no part of Beca thought her actions were approved by the other girl. Still it was nice to know that Aubrey was on her side, in a roundabout way.

“You should go dance with Stacie,” Beca suggested. The blonde shook her head. “She keeps looking your way, I think she came to dance with you.”

Beca had been looking at the other two during the conversation. They were having a good time but she noticed that Stacie would keep glancing at Aubrey with a hopeful look.

Chloe returned and collapsed on the stool next to Beca, now a little sweatier. She leaned against the brunette before stealing her drink.

“You okay?” Beca asked.

“I think I’m done for the night,” Chloe said.

“We’ve been here for like an hour.”

“In retrospect, doing this on a Monday night wasn’t the best idea.” With that, she downed the rest of the drink before ordering another.

Beca turned her attention back to Aubrey. “Don’t leave her to dance by herself.”

Aubrey seemed reluctant, she bit her bottom lip and glanced towards Stacie’s direction. Beca thought she might have to rope in Chloe to help but she got up soon afterward and made her towards her companion.

Beca watched as Stacie became very excited by the arrival of her friend and wrapped her arms around her neck. The current song was a little slower and even she had to admit that it sounded pretty good. The two on the dancefloor moved in time with the beat. Stacie seemed uninterested in moving away from the blonde. Not that Aubrey looked uncomfortable. She actually looked rather calm, just staring in Stacie’s eyes.

“Good job, by the way,” Chloe said. Beca looked at her in confusion so she pointed towards the other pair. “I didn’t put you down as the matchmaking type.”

* * *

Stacie was leaning against her. Aubrey liked the position they were in. She could feel the other girl breathing against her neck. It was heavier than usual thanks to the dancing. Green eyes were staring at her. They were a little less focused due to the alcohol but they were looking directly at her. She could tell that Stacie was happy just from the eyes alone. The smile plastered lower down only confirmed it.

“Sorry about today, it can’t have been much fun to be with me,” Aubrey said.

Stacie shook her head. “Nonsense, you’re always a little grumpy. It’s never bothered me.”

“This is what you want too right?”

The brunette looked at her strangely. “What does it have to do with me?”

“Well, we’re going to be working on the client together.”

“I thought you’d be working with Mark. He’s the one who usually handles them.”

“Why would you think I wanted to work with Mark?”

“Because...” Stacie looked down at her feet. “I...” she whispered. "He's more experienced..."

Aubrey frowned. “Stace, you have to stop selling yourself short. The only reason I can even demand better clients is because of the work we’ve done. Together!” She lifted the other girl’s chin to look at her eyes. “There’s no one else I’d work with on this.”

Stacie made eye contact again, now looking bashful. “Thanks, Bree.”

“Now, if I hear about how you think you’re inadequate, I’m going to kill Mark.”

“How would that help?” Stacie questioned.

The blonde smirked. “If he’s dead, then you won’t have anyone to compare to so you’ll feel better.” The other girl bit her bottom lip. “Who else? You know what, it doesn’t matter. I’ll keep killing people in the office until you’re happy.”

It elicited a laugh from the Stacie.

They danced for a while longer. Aubrey began to notice the increased weight against her as the other girl became more exhausted. Stacie had been drinking more than she had tonight and it looked like it was getting to her. She was usually far more tired at the end of the day than Aubrey.

“What are the other two doing?” Stacie asked.

Aubrey glanced their way. Chloe was leaning against Beca, her head pressed against the brunette’s shoulder. She was holding a drink with a smile on her face. Beca seemed to be telling some sort of story that was making the redhead laugh. Apart from the alcohol, they were behaving the exact same way they did in the office. It was a wonder how they got any work done.

“They’ve got that look again,” Stacie said.

“What look?”

“Like they’ve figured out something that makes the rest of the world trivial and the only thing that matters is each other.”

Aubrey smiled. “That’s actually pretty accurate.”

“I see that look every time I visit my parents.”

Shortly afterwards, a yawn announced that it was finally time to leave. They still had to go to work tomorrow. Aubrey attempted to make her way to the door when Stacie pulled her in the direction of their co-workers.

“We’re heading out, see you guys at work,” Stacie said once they reached the bar.

“Actually, we’re leaving too, Chloe’s tired,” Beca said.

The group made their way through the crowd of now very sweaty people. It was nearing midnight at this point and the outside of the club consisted of people who had either been thrown out or had purposely stepped out to empty the contents of their stomachs.

Stacie held the blonde’s hand as they progressed to the less alcohol infused part of town. She insisted on it whenever they went somewhere. Aubrey had been told that it forced her to walk at the same speed thus slowing her down. According to the other girl, it helped to relax her. She had a feeling that her more relaxed appearance had little to do with how slowly they were walking and more to do with the person she was walking with. Stacie didn’t need to know that though.

Suddenly Aubrey found her arm being pulled.

“Bree, I’m hungry,” Stacie whined. “Can we go to that diner?”

“Sure.”

What sounded like suppressed laughter came from the pair behind them.

The diner across the street was brightly lit with a large window stretching across its perimeter. It was almost completely empty. There was a male police officer talking to a woman behind the computer and a man on a laptop near the back corner.

They shuffled into one of the booths near the window, Aubrey and Stacie on one side and Chloe and Beca on the other.

A woman, around their age, showed up shortly to take their order. A tag with the name ‘Lucy’ was pinned to her top. She pulled out a notepad and pen from her pocket.

“What would you guys like?” she asked.

“A chicken sandwich,” Stacie replied

“I’ll just have some vanilla ice cream,” Chloe said.

“Nothing,” Beca said.

Lucy then looked at Aubrey. “A coffee please, black,” the blonde said.

As their waiter went to fetch their order, Aubrey turned to find Stacie looking at her.

“Did you eat the sandwich I made for you today?” the brunette asked.

“Yes.”

“What was in it?” This was always the follow up question.

“Turkey,” Aubrey replied.

“Good.”

She groaned. “You know you don’t have to keep doing that.”

“If I don’t then you don’t eat.”

Aubrey noticed that the two sitting across them were looking at them, puzzled by the conversation.

“You bring her sandwiches?” Chloe asked.

“Amongst other things,” Stacie said.

“Why?” Beca questioned.

“She thinks I don’t eat enough,” the blonde replied.

“Because you don’t,” Stacie shot back. “The first week I worked with you, you skipped lunch every single day.”

“We managed to get our work done, didn’t we?”

“That’s not the point.”

Beca and Chloe were smiling at them.

“Thanks for looking out for me, Stace.” In truth, Aubrey really did appreciate the gesture. She had been used to missing lunch due to work and it wasn’t a big deal. She knew it wasn’t healthy but it didn’t really affect her job performance. The first week with Stacie, the blonde had somehow managed to miss lunch every single day, entirely by accident. The following Monday, she received a tap on the shoulder around midday. Stacie had brought pasta, enough for the both of them and insisted that they eat.

Aubrey had been speechless despite the simple gesture. She remembered nodding before eating in silence. She couldn’t help the smile on her face.

The food arrived shortly afterwards. Aubrey watched Stacie attack her sandwich while her coffee cooled.

Stacie had become Aubrey's constant. The brunette would be there to pull her back when she put too much into work or became overly stressed. It's gotten to the point where she is unsure if she is even able to unwind on her own, without Stacie's aid. The idea of that didn't sound so bad.

“Mmm.” The satisfied sound came from Chloe. “Becs, you have to try some of this,” she said scooping another bit of ice cream onto the spoon. Beca leaned closer and took the spoon in her mouth. A nod came from her moments later. Chloe moved closer to the other girl before having another spoon of the ice cream herself.

Stacie took attention away from her food to give the blonde a knowing look. They didn’t really need to speak to be able to know what the other was thinking. Back at the office, the two of them discussed Beca and Chloe from time to time. Even Aubrey could admit that she enjoyed watching the relationship grow. She talked with Chloe on most days and the redhead always had something to tell her about Beca, usually positive.

The ice cream was shared until the bowl was empty. Once everyone was finished, the bill was split and everyone put in a tip thus avoiding any ‘Reservoir Dogs’ scenarios.

* * *

The group decided to cut across the park. The moon was especially prevalent tonight allowing for natural illumination of the pathways. The path led them near one of the large ponds in the park. This one was a little out of the way so fewer people visited. Thus, little to no ducks frequented the area. The moonlight reflected off the clean water beautifully.

As they were passing the pond, Stacie began pulling on Aubrey again, this time towards the pond edge. Chloe was happy to follow. She and Beca had enjoyed their time watching ‘Staubrey’ interact.

Stacie sat down, dragging the blonde down with her. Once Aubrey was seated, the brunette moved onto her lap and pressed herself against her. The other girl wrapped her arms around Stacie.

Beca sat down next to them and Chloe joined her, resting her head on the other girl’s shoulder. The redhead took a moment to look at her companion rather than the other two girls. Beca was looking back at her and she found herself being distracted again by the deep blue of those eyes.

“You okay, Chlo?” Beca asked.

Coming out of her trance, Chloe shook her head and replied. “Yeah.” She took Beca’s hand and planted a kiss on her cheek. “I’m fine.”

It felt good to just sit and do nothing for a while. Just enjoying the way the light on the water rippled as an inconsistent breeze blew by.

After a few minutes on the bank, it became clear that Stacie had fallen asleep.

“Should we get going?” Chloe suggested

“In a bit, I don’t mind sitting here for a little longer,” said Aubrey.

The sound of their voices must have stirred the sleeping brunette who made a cute whining noise. “Closer, like normal,” she said, her words muffled by Aubrey’s clothing. Said girl held Stacie more firmly.

“What does she mean when she said ‘like normal’?” Beca asked.

The blonde blushed. “She likes being held when she sleeps.”

“How do you know this?” Chloe asked, smirking.

“She stays over at my place sometimes.”

“How often?”

“Just sometimes.”

“How many times last week?” Beca asked. It was fun watching Aubrey become more and more embarrassed.

“Three times.” These weren't questions the blonde needed to answer but the embarrassment must have gotten to her.

Stacie stirred again. “It was actually five I think,” she corrected.

Chloe looked at Beca and grinned.

“What?” Aubrey asked.

“Oh, nothing.” The pair said in unison.

“It’s just, she looks really happy like that,” Beca commented.

Aubrey looked down at the sleeping face. Stacie’s eyes were barely open. “That’s cos I am,” she whispered.

They allowed the brunette to rest a while longer before finally deciding to head home. Once they reached the park exit, the two pairs went their separate ways.

Overall, Chloe had enjoyed the night. The first surprise was Beca’s willingness to dance. Then ‘Staubrey’ had shown up. Her exhaustion seemed like it was going to ruin the night but the quieter activities after the club had more than made up for it.

Beca was there so the chances of her not enjoying it were minimal anyway.

Stacie and Aubrey had been delightful as well. Chloe was already good friends with the latter and Stacie had been just as amazing as Aubrey had described. She didn’t talk about Stacie outside of a work discussion but today’s display proved that there was some genuine affection between the two.

There was something she needed to discuss with Beca about them.

“Beca, that thing you told Aubrey was pretty unlike you.”

“What thing?”

“About Stacie being happy.”

“I thought she could use a push.”

Chloe smiled at her. “I think it worked.”


	8. Chapter 8

Two months went by rather quickly. During this time, Beca usually went to Chloe’s apartment right after work. On the vast majority of days, she stayed the night. She even began leaving her clothes at the apartment. An empty drawer was designated and Chloe put all of her belongings there whenever she left something.

Chloe’s purchasing habits changed as well. She remembered looking down at her shopping cart one day and realizing that half the things in it were for Beca. She hadn’t even asked her to buy those things. It didn’t take her long to realize that Chloe was doing this. She offered to split the bill and refused to eat until the redhead accepted.

Chloe began taking her on shopping trips from then on.

Stacie and Aubrey also became a more prominent part of their lives. Whether it was organized or by coincidence, they would run into each other two or three times a week outside of work. Even at work, they would see each other more often. Beca and Chloe couldn’t be happier about it. They got the chance to watch the other two acting cute at a closer range and they weren’t bad company either.

**Tuesday - July 26th**

It was around eleven o’clock at night. Chloe sat on her bed, her arms wrapped around her knees. She was wearing her pyjamas and was just about to go to bed. There was still some thinking to do though.

Today was Chloe’s very bad, not good day.

_“I have something to tell you,” Beca announced. They had just sat down to begin work. Chloe turned to face the other girl to give her full attention._

_“What is it?” Chloe asked._

_“It's nothing major, I’m seeing someone. Thought you should know." Beca said it with a smile. Chloe was reminded that this sort of announcement was meant to be followed with a smile of her own and perhaps some sort of congratulations._

_“That’s great, Beca,” Chloe said in as upbeat of a manner as she could manage, unsure of why the news didn’t feel great. “How’d you meet?”_

_“His name’s Ethan. He lives in my apartment building. I usually pass him on my way to work and we got to talking about two weeks ago.”_

_“Oh, that's nice. I'm happy for you."_

That was the correct response to give in such a situation, perhaps a little stilted but it would do. Her chest had tightened to a painful degree and it felt like she was short of breath.

Her strange symptoms continued throughout the day, especially when she found herself looking at Beca. Glancing happened frequently on a normal day but today was even worse.

When lunch came around, she was unable to eat much. Her mouth felt dry and she was incapable of swallowing. The taste of her soda was especially chemically.

By the end of the day, she just wanted to go home and lay in her bed. Work had been more exhausting for some reason. Beca had noticed her change and commented on it. Chloe wasn’t able to come up with an explanation, her own thoughts on the matter confused.

As the two of them were walking to her apartment, she had tried to figure out what was wrong. It was clear that the brunette’s announcement was what had caused her to become like this but she couldn’t understand why. Beca had a significant other. It was a good thing. Technically, Chloe was happy for her.

Once they had arrived at home, they lazed about on the sofa until it was time to eat. Chloe didn’t want to make food so Chinese was ordered to allow for more laziness. Really, she had wanted to go to bed almost as soon as she got home. Just collapsing on the mattress and cuddling up with Beca usually improved her mood.

Her plan had been cut short though.

_Yawning announced the time for sleep and the two of them quickly got ready._

_The phone rang, Beca’s phone._

_“Hey, Ethan,” she answered._

_Chloe slipped under the covers and turned her attention to the phone conversation._

_“Okay, I’ll see you soon,” Beca said. She then turned to Chloe. “I’ve gotta go, Ethan wants me to come over.”_

_“Oh, cool.”_

_“You gonna be okay? You seemed kinda down all day.”_

_Chloe forced a smile. “I’ll be fine, I think I’m just exhausted.”_

_She got out of bed to let Beca out and lock the door. She gave her a goodnight kiss on the cheek before she departed, a force of habit. After staring at her closed door for a few seconds, lost in thought, she dragged herself back to bed, the feeling from before now intensified._

So now she was here, still trying to figure out what was wrong with her.

Was she jealous of Beca? The smaller girl had found someone and Chloe’s love life was basically non-existent. She had never been someone who was envious of things like that and it wouldn’t make sense in the context of her best friend.

Beca wasn’t the problem.

Just being with her improved Chloe’s general mood. Once you got past her rough exterior, the brunette was a caring person. Chloe suspected that the younger girl presented herself as unapproachable so that others wouldn’t take advantage of just how kind she was. Almost like a social defense mechanism.

Keeping with the analogy. If that was Beca’s defense mechanism, that means that Chloe was her natural predator.

Whenever Chloe looked at her, she got the feeling that the other girl would always stick by her side. Beca was a motivator in a sense, telling her to take risks and enjoy life. Not because she would be able to protect her, but to be there with her when things became difficult. An acknowledgement that life wasn’t going to be perfect but having someone to share it with made even the downsides worthwhile.

Chloe felt like she could share anything with her. There was no one else who knew her better. Beca was the one she would come running to with a problem. Beca was the one she wanted to cuddle up with after work. Beca was the one who had managed to get rid of her feeling of isolation.

Beca was more than enough.

She had found a significant other though. That meant that there was something else she needed that Chloe was unable to provide. There was someone else Beca could share her thoughts with. There was someone else she could cuddle with. There was someone else she could go to with problems.

Chloe wasn’t enough for Beca.

She made Chloe feel special. Whenever the two of them were together, it never felt like she was there out of boredom or out of obligation. It never felt like she was making time for her, more like she was trying to spend as little time doing other things so she could spend as much time with Chloe as possible.

When Beca was with Chloe, it felt like she was there because she wanted to be. Because there was nowhere else she would rather be. Because she found Chloe interesting.

Because when the two of them were together, they could truly be themselves.

Like they needed the other to get there.

It was a stupid thing to be sad about. Chloe was her friend. Ethan was her boyfriend. While their responsibilities and expectations sometimes overlapped, they meant different things.

She was being selfish. Beca wasn’t going to change because she had a boyfriend. If Chloe understood the brunette as well as she thought she did, then she knows that the other girl values their friendship just as much as the redhead. It was stupid to think differently.

Still, there was something else that would explain her depression. It had been lurking in her thoughts for a while now.

Attraction.

She had tried to justify finding Beca beautiful as a common observation. The need to hold hands was just part of Chloe's nature. The kisses were just to make her uncomfortable.

They were only half truths. Chloe was attracted to Beca. It was something she hadn’t been willing to accept. Her hometown hadn’t been the most inviting to that sort of thought and some of those ideals had been ingrained into her, just a little. Her mental freak-out had forced her to admit it to herself.

It explained the hand holding. Sure, being touchy-feely was Chloe's thing but there was never this much emotion involved.

And the kisses. More excuses to touch Beca. The goal wasn’t to embarrass, it was to reassure, comfort and bring joy to her. The action allowed her to get even closer. The touch of her lips to skin would linger a little longer each time. Currently, kisses to the cheek were sometimes followed by nuzzling.

So she was attracted to her best friend, it wasn’t a big deal. That sort of thing happens all the time. Other girls probably thought about their friends in such a way from time to time. Possibly just a phase she was going through.

Chloe wasn’t going to ruin someone else’s relationship because of a simple crush.

* * *

**Thursday - July 28th**

It had been two days since Beca slept in Chloe’s bed. It had felt like an age and she had missed it. Ethan was great but they weren’t at the cuddling stage of the relationship, let alone the sleeping together stage.

Currently, she was waiting in bed, looking through her laptop. She had her legs under the covers and was resting against the headboard. The left side was declared her side after the third visit. Not that either of them kept to their sides, always rolling into the middle and waking up as a tangled, cozy mess in the morning.

The room was dark, the only thing allowing her to see was the moonlight streaming in through the window.

The redhead came out of the bathroom in a towel, her hair still wet from the shower. She moved to the closet near the window and began shuffling through it. Finding a pair of pyjama shorts, she quickly slipped them on.

The towel was removed and placed on the rack.

Chloe had been partially naked in front of Beca before. It was guaranteed with the amount of time they spent together. She usually looked away to protect her friend’s modesty. The other girl didn’t seem to be bothered either way.

Today though, Beca couldn’t help but glance.

Chloe's back still had a few drops of water that glistened from the moonlight. They trailed down her body slowly over smooth skin. Her legs, usually obscured, were on full display thanks to the shorts.

She slipped on a night shirt and turned around, smiling at Beca.

Beautiful, breathtakingly so. That was the first thought that came to her. Now that Chloe was facing her, the light cast on her face allowed her blue eyes to shine. There had always been something alluring about them.

There were other things that Beca was beginning to notice now. Namely Chloe’s chest. From cuddling experience, she knew the other girl’s bosom was soft but she had never noticed them like this before.

She averted her eyes quickly, hoping the darkness hid her staring.

“You okay, Beca?”

Busted.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she replied.

Chloe looked at the brunette curiously. “Are you sure? Cos you were staring at me like you’d seen a ghost.”

“I’m fine, now come to bed.”

The redhead slipped under the covers next to Beca and leaned against her before clamping her laptop shut and taking it away from her. There’s been something different about Chloe recently. Something has been bothering her and it’s been bothering Beca to not know what the problem is.

“Chloe, are you ok?”

“Yeah. Absolutely.”

Beca looked at her friend closely. She slipped her hand under the covers and found her bedmate’s hand, giving it a light squeeze. “You’d tell me if you weren’t, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course,” Chloe says. She turns to look at her. “You don’t have to worry about me, you know.”

“I want to worry about you,” Beca said, the words coming out succinctly.

Chloe smiled before leaning into to give a small peck on the cheek. “That’s sweet of you.”

“I’m actually doing it for selfish reasons.”

“How so?” Chloe asked.

“Well, it proves that I am capable of empathy.”

“Congratulations on the discovery.”

“Plus, It allows me to show you I care about you without having to actually say it,” Beca explained.

“Why don’t you want to say it?”

“Because if I come out and say I care about you, it’ll sound like I’m going soft and I can’t have that affecting my reputation,” the brunette said. “You understand, don’t you?”

“I think so. You care about me but you don’t want to tell me you care about me so you tell me that you worry about me so that I sort of get the idea that you care about me without you having to say you care about me so that the rest of the world doesn’t think you’re soft.”

Beca smiled. “Close. It’s you and the rest of the world that I don’t want thinking I’m soft.”

“You’re too late on the former,” Chloe said. “Your tactic is smart though. I think I may be able to use it too.”

“Go ahead.”

Chloe took a deep breath and exhaled. “So I missed you for the past two days but I don’t want to seem overly attached so I’ll tell you that the bed felt a little empty recently so that you get the idea that I missed you without me having to say it so that I don't sound clingy.”

Beca nodded her head in approval. “Clever.”

“I thought so,” Chloe said.

A pause.

“Beca?”

“Yes.”

“The bed felt a little empty recently,” the redhead said, her eyes and the corners of her mouth giving off the impression that she was trying to hold back a smile.

“Oh really,” Beca said, playing along. “Wait, is that why you’ve been a little off?” She really did want to know what had been throwing Chloe off. The other girl usually shared her problems so it was especially strange.

“Yeah,” Chloe replied. “It feels weird when you’re not here now.”

Beca understood. She could count on her hand the number of times she had slept in a bed other than this one in the past two months. By now, she had gotten used to the feel of it, the way it settled. Additionally, she had gotten to know how Chloe settled against her. Arms wrapping around her, kisses on her cheek, hands massaging her shoulders or just caressing her.

Still, there was something off.

“There’s something you’re not telling me and you’re probably holding back for a reason so I’ll respect that,” Beca said. Chloe’s eyes flickered in a sense, almost giving away her true emotion. “But there is nothing you could tell me that would make me think less of you.”

She just nodded and smiled, placing her head on Beca’s shoulder once again.

A few minutes passed. Chloe had acknowledged that there was a problem in a roundabout fashion and she would put it out into the open when she was ready, mostly likely. It didn’t help to reassure the brunette though.

“How’s your writing going?” Beca asked.

Chloe seemed to perk up a little. “Surprisingly well actually, I’m still working out some of the plot points but I’m happy with the concept.”

“What’s it about?”

She looked at Beca before turning away. “I can’t tell you.”

The brunette was now even more curious. “How come?”

“Because you’ll think I’m really lame.” The redhead seemed embarrassed even though she had revealed nothing about her work.

“I’m not going to think that, I promise,” Beca said rather sincerely.

Chloe huffed. “It’s about these two girls who run a pastry shop together. It’s about their relationship as well as the day to day activities and incidents that occur at the shop.”

“Why is that lame?” The brunette was legitimately confused as to why the other girl didn’t want her to know about it.

“Because it sounds so boring.” Chloe put her head into her palms. “Also, I based the two main characters on us,” she said, the sound muffled.

Beca tugged at Chloe’s hands and forced her to look at her. “Chlo, artists tend to take inspiration from their experiences and surroundings, there’s nothing strange about that,” she reassured. “As for it being boring, if you want to write about it, then there must be something interesting about it.” Chloe was now looking at her. “Personally, I think your story sounds cool.”

“Thanks, Beca.” She was smiling again.

“Why a pastry shop?”

“I just like the idea of the two of us working together like that,” Chloe said. “It’s not really about the shop though, it’s more about our friendship. I’m just using the pastry shop as a way of setting up narrative situations.”

“You think the two of us would be good at running a pastry shop?”

Chloe nodded. “I think so. You and I make a good team. We’d make pastries during the day and then retire to the apartment above the shop at night. You’d work on your music and I’d work on my writing. It’d be a single bedroom apartment so we’d have to share the bed.”

“That actually sounds really nice.”

“I think I’m writing my story as a way to show that our friendship can work regardless of our circumstances.” Chloe looked to be thinking hard as she explained it. There was a sense that she wanted to get this right. “In essence, the pastry shop doesn’t matter. You could have been a monster hunter and me, a succubus. Or we could have been MMA fighters. We could have been two cheetahs. It doesn’t matter.”

More has happened working at Pitch Perfect than she had anticipated. Beca hadn’t expected to find someone like Chloe there. She wasn’t someone who had cast aside all feelings as being weak. She wasn’t that type of person. It was just hard to feel much when you had almost no one left. The redhead had come along and allowed her actually feel things instead of being apathetic towards everything.

“I get it by the way, what you said earlier. I missed you too” Beca said. “Sometimes I wish I could stay in bed all day with you rather than go to work.”

Chloe didn’t say anything. Instead, she moved on top of her and settled into her lap. Slipping hands around Beca’s neck, she began peppering kisses on her cheek.

She continued to say nothing before resting her head in the crook of the brunette’s neck.

* * *

Another week passes in which Beca finds herself taking sidelong glances at Chloe far more often. It becomes a distraction that she is far too happy to entertain. The other girl doesn’t seem to notice and she considers herself discreet enough to not get caught regardless but the question remains. Why is she compelled to look?

Also, she was still dating Ethan. Something she needed to remind herself from time to time.

 

**Saturday - July 30th**

Free time. Finally. Beca had insisted on some time away from Chloe and Ethan to spend it working on her music. It was around ten in the morning and she was in her pyjamas, brushing her teeth while simultaneously loading up her suite of music programs, pulling out the musical notation she scribbled on bits of paper and generally getting organized.

Once her shower was completed, she sat down. A fresh start to the day should allow the creative juices to start flowing and allow for better creation of music. No deadlines, no obligations and no distractions to occupy her mind.

It was great. She managed to create more than she had done in weeks. There was a satisfaction to just creating, even if no one else would see it.

Art is generally shared but the person who gets the most satisfaction out of it is the person who created it. It allows said person to display their thoughts and ideas. This may be done to illustrate a point or just due to the fact that the artist was incapable of conveying their thoughts in any other way. It doesn’t matter the format, be it film, music, painting, video games or dance.

Beca used it for the latter reason. The idea that art brought the most joy to the creator was especially relevant to her as she had yet to share any of her work. She had spent such a long time creating that there was now a fear associated with revealing her work. What if they didn’t like it? That would mean all her years of work had been for naught.

Some artists want approval of their work. Beca wasn’t sure if she did but just to avoid having to find out, she hid it from the world.

Her euphoric feelings were short lived. The thing about creativity is that it comes in bursts. It doesn’t matter if you sit at your computer all day with free time attempting to create. It’s an organic process that can’t really be forced.

It didn’t help the she was thinking about Chloe. Most Saturdays were now spent together so it was weird to be alone in the house with nothing to do. Beca was angry at Chloe for this. It hadn’t been a problem before she met her.

She wasn’t going to give in though. After having fought with Chloe for this free time for a good part of Friday, she couldn’t show her face at the other girl’s apartment.

Nope.

Never.

Now to figure out how to kill the rest of the day.

She could watch some of her shows. The only problem is that Chloe had introduced her to most of them and they were at a certain point in each of the shows and the redhead was sure to be mad if she skipped ahead.

She could browse the web.

She could listen to music.

She could...

“This is pathetic,” Beca declared into the empty apartment.

Grabbing her keys and laptop. She locked the door and made her way down the stairs and onto the street. There, she briskly walked. Chloe was going to rub her face in it and the sooner she got through it, the better.

A common misconception about introverts is that they prefer to be alone. This is not the case. Introverts enjoy their time alone but it is not a supplement for the company of others. If introverts truly wished to be so completely isolated, what is the point of them making friends? Of them marrying?

Apparently it was a misconception that even Beca had fallen victim to.

Vibration in her pocket alerted her about halfway to her destination.

Chloe was calling. Beca picked up.

“Hey, Beca.”

“Hi.”

“Could you come over?” she asked.

The brunette became concerned. “Why? Is something wrong?”

There was a pause. “No, could you come though?”

“Sure.”

She hung up. Her pace quickened. There was nothing strange about how quickly she had been willing to agree to Chloe’s request. It felt natural.

Everything about the current situation should have been scaring her. There had never been a time in her life where the presence of someone else was needed so badly that she was willing to walk to that person’s home. In a sense, Beca was becoming less independent. Looking at it from a technical standpoint, it was making her a less able person. Yet, she was happy. She needed someone and it felt good.

Once she was at the apartment building, she raced up the stairs, uninterested in waiting for the elevator, to Chloe’s door. She knocked on the door and waited.

Chloe opened the door moments later.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hi.”

“How’d you get here so quickly?”

“I was already on my way here when you called,” Beca said, not really caring how it sounded.

“Oh.”

Stepping aside, the redhead let her in before shutting the door behind her.

Getting settled, Beca turned to Chloe. “What did you want me over for?” She asked.

“Nothing. Is that ok?”

She nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine.” She then sat on the couch. “I’m gonna work on my music.”

Chloe went over to her work desk and picked up a book and a pen. Walking back over to the couch, she seated herself next to Beca.

“I’m gonna work on my writing,” Chloe said.

As Beca began work, she glanced to her side to find the other girl smiling. She didn’t have long to ponder on the development as her creativity returned.

She had travelled a good distance with her laptop in order to do the same thing she was doing in her own home. Chloe had been mid-sentence when she began writing again. She had invited Beca here and continued to do what she was doing before.

Despite this, Beca was content. She returned her focus back to the music, for once uninterested in answering why and just enjoying it.

It’s a unique feeling to know that someone truly likes you. To know that someone else on the planet can look at you and think that spending time with you is enjoyable. The idea sounds crazy to you because you know all the bad things about yourself that other people don’t get to see. You worry that you’ve become so good at hiding it that the other person doesn’t see them. You worry that they won’t like you just as much as you don’t like yourself.

The truth is, when someone truly likes you. They see you for who you are, in a way you never could.


	9. Chapter 9

**Tuesday - August 2nd**

Construction work at the office had gone awry. Some type of chemical had been spilled while installing the air conditioning system and several floors of the building had to be evacuated. This meant a free day for the two of them.

Surprisingly, it was Beca who had a plan for them. She went on a journey to the shops where three large eggs, self-raising flour, caster sugar, butter, baking powder, cocoa powder, icing sugar, double cream, plain chocolate and apricot jam were purchased.

Now Chloe stood in her tiny kitchen in an apron. Beca was in the bedroom changing out of her work clothes.

“Why the sudden interest in making cakes?” Chloe asked.

“Your novel.” A shout from the other room.

The redhead was surprised. “Really?”

“Yes, really, I've been thinking about it ever since.”

Beca stepped out moments later.

There were few words entering Chloe’s mind due to the sight in front of her. Beca stood at the doorway. She was wearing a bright yellow sundress. It had blue flowers that started thick at the bottom and became sparse until there were none at the neck. It was a beautiful dress. However, beautiful couldn’t even begin to describe the girl in the dress.

This was a side of Beca that she rarely got to see. The brunette didn’t flaunt her natural beauty. She usually covered herself with a hooded sweatshirt or jeans. Even in the office, her skirt was a little longer than the other girl’s. Now though, the small straps on the dress showed off her delicate shoulders. It finished at the knees allowing for an ample view of her legs. Her small frame combined with the sweet dress made her look like a fairy. Some kind of fantasy creature. Chloe half expected to see a trail of glitter flow from her.

This wasn’t helping her get over her little crush. Who was she kidding though? Ever since coming to terms with her attraction, she had become far more aware of Beca’s inherent beauty. Her crush wasn’t little and her attraction wasn’t simple. The realization over the past few days had allowed her to accept that perhaps this wasn’t a crush. It was something much bigger. What's more, it had become clear that her crush wasn’t solely linked to her attraction, only tangentially so.

Other things that wouldn’t help the situation would be what Chloe did next. Sometimes your brain will automatically perform actions that you want to do. Sometimes those actions are not accepted by social convention. This is instinct.

She sprang at the smaller girl and grabbed her for a hug. Her hands glided gently around Beca’s waist and pulled her close. The height difference caused Beca to be pulled up a little, now using the ball of her feet to stand. She had also placed her hands on the redhead’s shoulders during the sudden embrace.

Chloe looked at her for a brief moment, taking in the cute but surprised face, before kissing her on the cheek, the touch placed ever so close to the brunette’s mouth. She could feel her let out a breath, possibly from the suddenness of the action. The hands placed on her shoulders pressed a little more firmly against her, like she was holding on. Chloe found herself supporting the smaller girl's weight slight as it seemed like her legs became a little less stable.

“What’s happening?” Were the first words out of Beca’s mouth after pulling away, still holding onto her. Confused.

Chloe was beaming. Still taking in the princess before her. “I didn’t know you owned dresses,” she said. “You look so beautiful.”

The other girl, who had up to this point been making eye contact, looked anywhere but directly at her, traces of red appearing on her cheeks. “Not that you don’t look gorgeous normally,” she continued. The traces became more prominent, Beca still not uttering a word.

Chloe laid another kiss on the cheek, hoping to kick the girl out of her stupor knowing full well that it wouldn’t do anything of the sort. This time, Beca actually looked at her.

“Are you okay?” Chloe asked.

Clarity and focus seemed to return to Beca’s eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You wanna get back to making the cake?”

“Yeah.”

Chloe smiled. “Beca?”

“Hmm.”

She looked at her shoulders. “You can let go now.”

Beca removed her hands almost immediately. “Sorry.” She quickly turned her attention to the ingredients and began looking through them. Chloe joined her.

“Why are you wearing a dress anyway?”

“My mother liked me in them. Before she passed, I promised I would wear one from time to time. This is one of the last ones she gave me,” Beca explained. “I honestly don’t mind wearing them.”

“I agree with your mother.”

Beca smiled

“By the way,” she said. “No cliché fight with the ingredients.”

“As if I would ever!” Chloe feigned shock.

First, the eggs, flour, caster sugar, butter and baking powder was mixed together until smooth. The cocoa was mixed with a little water until it was highly viscous. This was then added to the main cake mixture.

Beca began spreading it into two small round baking tins. The cake would be big enough for the two of them. It was then placed into the oven. Meanwhile, Chloe worked on the icing.

Cream and chocolate were melted slowly over a pan of hot water. She was very careful, mixing slowly and watching for signs of burning. Chocolate tends to give off a specific smell when it’s burning and it was looking good so far.

The melted concoction was taken off the heat a few minutes later.

She dipped two fingers into it, getting a layer of chocolate cream on them, and tasted it. It was incredibly sweet. Still, it wouldn’t be approved for the cake unless it ran by ‘Head Chef’ Beca Mitchell, who was busy staring into the oven, watching the cake slowly rise.

“Beca, would you like to try some of the icing?”

“Sure,” The brunette answered, her focus still on the oven.

Chloe dipped her fingers into the mix again. She then moved them close to the other girl’s mouth. Beca looked at her strangely. “Go on,” Chloe said.

The smaller girl hesitantly took the fingers between her lips. Chloe could feel her tongue lap up the chocolate lightly. “How is it?” She asked.

“Good.”

She made a second smaller batch of white icing.

Her realization of her attraction for her best friend and co-worker forced her to admit that she should limit her displays of affection just a little. Beca was already with someone and there was a chance that the redhead could go overboard with it. That near miss of a kiss should have been a warning. The keyword there was should. The problem with her plan was that Beca didn’t seem perturbed by anything she did.

There was never a shout asking her to stop, which she would have done immediately. While Chloe was affectionate, she wasn’t one to give to the unwanted. Some people truly don’t show affection through contact. She always respected that.

With Beca, it was different. There was always initial embarrassment but it felt like that was just her getting used to it. In fact, she never seemed to take any little touch for granted. She always gave a light squeeze when Chloe went to hold hands, she would hold the older girl’s gaze when she received a kiss. It was one of the reasons Chloe continued to do things like that, there was a sense that the other girl appreciated each one.

After watching the home shopping network for a good twenty-five minutes while the smell of the cake swept across the apartment, it was finally time to take it out.

Each tin is taken out and the cake removed. The apricot jam is spread on the top of both cakes. The chocolate cream icing that was prepared earlier is applied onto the top of one of them. Next the cake with only apricot jam is placed on top of the other, thereby sandwiching them together.

The remaining chocolate icing is used on the top of the cake.

The white icing is used for decoration.

Beca picked it up and started drawing letters onto the top. Slowly but surely, the words ‘Beca & Chloe’ formed on the top of the cake.

“It’s a little simple but it’s our first cake and we don’t need to go overboard,” she said. “I hope it’s okay with you.”

Chloe smiled. “It’s fine,” she said. “I would like to add one thing though.”

“Go ahead.”

The icing was handed to her. The redhead slowly started creating a third word onto the dessert.

‘Beca & Chloe Forever.’

“Remember what I said about you being six,” Beca joked.

“Hey! At least I didn’t spell it 4-E-V-A,” Chloe said, frowning. She looked down at her work. She really didn’t do it as a joke. It was simple, something someone might carve into the trunk of a tree, but it sounded right. Still, she shouldn’t subject Beca to her feelings.

As the reread the sugary words, it became clear just how deep these feelings were going. She hadn’t given it a second thought when she wrote them.

Moving to get a butter knife, she went to remove the last word. “You’re right, it’s stupid,” she said.

“Don’t.” Beca had stopped her hand. “There’s nothing wrong with the words.”

* * *

Beca breaks up with Ethan.  They were together for just over a month. It’s not a messy end to their relationship. He told her that she was distant. That he was attracted to her and found himself enjoying their time together but there was no real chemistry.

She was unable to really argue with him. It was true. Furthermore, she didn’t really want to fight for it.

Chloe hadn’t asked her about anything relating to the split.

**Wednesday - August 17th**

It had been a relatively standard day at the office. No mishaps to speak of. Just plain work.

“I’m gonna make us tea, could you put the TV on?” Chloe asked.

“Sure, I just gotta go to the bathroom,” Beca said, making her way to the bedroom.

The redhead prepared the two cups of tea. There was still some of the cake left from last week. It had been surprisingly good for a first-time effort. She had been adamant that they could begin their own pastry store immediately only to be shot down by the other girl. Luckily, Beca was still open to making more cakes.

She set the two cups of tea and the cake down on the coffee table and waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

After around ten minutes, she decided to check on Beca.

Walking into the bedroom, she found her sitting on the bed. She had removed her blazer and unbuttoned the first few buttons of her shirt. She hadn’t noticed that Chloe had walked in just yet.

She was also crying, quite a lot.

Alarm bells immediately went off in Chloe’s head. She quickly moved towards the other girl, sitting next to her and taking her hand.

“Beca? What’s wrong?” she asked.

The brunette, initially startled at the sudden touch, wiped at her eyes. “It’s nothing.”

Chloe gently squeezed her hand. “Do you really think that I’m going to accept that as an answer?”

Beca shook her head. “It’s Ethan.”

The older girl became confused. The two of them had broken up amicably. Beca hadn’t spoken about it much and she had assumed that it was because it wasn’t worth talking about. They hadn’t been together for a long period of time.

“I didn’t know he meant this much to you.”

“He doesn’t,” she said.

“Then why are you crying?” Chloe used her thumb to remove a few more tears from the brunette’s cheeks. A quick kiss included, hoping to help Beca collected her thoughts.

“I thought I’d be able to make the relationship work. It was fine at first, he’s a great guy. He was nice to me and I enjoyed talking to him, I really did try to make it work,” she explained. “It’s just, even after a couple of weeks, I still felt nothing for him. The worst part is that when he said he wanted to end things, I didn’t care.” She looked at her. “I feel like I’m incapable of making any relationship work. You’re the only one that’s gone right.”

Chloe pulled her closer, wrapping her in an embrace. “Not every one of them is going to work out, Becs.”

“I’d just like to know what I’m doing wrong,” the other girl whispered.

“With him, nothing. If you didn’t feel anything for him, then it’s good that you ended things,” she reassured. “Plus, you’re forgetting Aubrey and Stacie who are relationships you made work.”

“Only because of you.”

She shifted the girl in her arms so she could look at her directly. “That’s being unfair to those two, they like you for who you are. Not because of me,” she corrected. Another kiss.

“Since breaking up with him, I’ve been thinking about us.”

The redhead kissed her again. “Hmm.”

Beca seemed to be struggling to get the words out, her sobbing stopping her. “Promise me you’ll tell me if I’m doing something wrong," she said. "I don't want to lose you." Her voice cracked as she said it, more tears coming out. She buried her head against Chloe’s chest.

“There’s nothing you could do that could push me away. Anyway, that’s not how relationships work. Sure, we’re going to have problems but it’s about dealing with those problems as we get to them, not avoiding them altogether. That’s just not healthy.”

She lifted Beca’s chin to force her to look at her. “You’re my best friend, Beca. If you make a mistake, I’m not going to run from you. Don’t ever think that.”

“Do you trust me?” she asked.

Beca nodded before returning to the safety of her embrace.

After a few minutes, her tears stopped. Chloe began unbuttoning her shirt and removing it. Going to Beca’s drawer, she picked out a shirt and a pair of shorts and tossed it to the other girl. The brunette got changed slowly.

“Go have some tea, I’ll come cuddle with you in a second,” Chloe said while also getting changed.

When relationships fail, it’s not uncommon for the person affected to consider it solely their fault. This can lead to them thinking that their other relationships are hanging on by a thread. In this case, it was up to her to reassure her friend, to make Beca’s irrationality clear to her. She had been in similar situations. Sometimes there was no one there for her. She counted herself lucky that she was there for Beca

Walking back into the living room, she found Beca wrapped up in their blanket. Her eyes were still red but she seemed calmer. Chloe sat down next to her and got underneath the blanket. She then pulled the smaller girl onto her lap.

Beca rested her head against the redhead’s shoulder, Chloe could feel each breath tickle her neck slightly.

“If you had told me, on that first day, that I would end up crying on your bed because I thought we were going to stop being friends, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Beca said.

She smiled. “I’m really glad I met you, Chlo.”

“You too, Becs.”

There she was, sitting in her apartment with a small brunette girl in her lap, the both of them under a blanket watching TV. The television program wasn’t particularly interesting, the tea was pleasant and the blanket was warm. Yet she was content.

The pair sat there for about an hour. She let the program wash over her as she played with Beca’s hair, occasionally stroking her back. It was only when the show they were watching ended that she realized that the other girl had fallen asleep.

Slowly shifting the smaller girl off her lap, she guided her to the bedroom and tucked her under the covers.

“Chloe?” Beca called out. Chloe was just about to exit the room.

“Yeah?”

“Could you stay a little longer?” There was a hint of shame in her request which surprised Chloe.

“I was just going to switch off the TV, I’m not going anywhere,” She said with a smile.

She returned moments later and slipped into bed, Beca’s arms found her almost immediately. Plans of preparing dinner or getting anything else done for the day quickly faded as slumber also took her.

There was something nice about getting home from work and going straight to bed. She felt like she was in school again, where coming home was sometimes followed by a nap until her mother woke her up for dinner. She woke up a couple of times in the night, still finding the brunette’s arms around her. The warmth of the bed and Beca’s presence helped her back to sleep.

Being lazy with her best friend was quickly becoming one of her favorite things.

* * *

**Friday - August 19th**

Beca watched as Chloe walked into the office. She had a pained expression on her face and was constantly touching her neck. Her speed of approach to their cubicle was also rather distressing.

She couldn’t remember upsetting the other girl.

The redhead sat down and looked directly at her.

“Beca, could you check my neck, It suddenly started hurting on the way here,” she said. She then lifted her chin to show where the pain was coming from.

Beca moved closer to examine the problem. Just above her collarbone was the source of the pain. A dark yellow sphere attached to a small stalk was stuck deep in her skin.

“Did you walk through the park?” Beca asked.

“Yeah.”

“You’ve been stung by a bee.”

“Is it bad?”

“No, it shouldn’t be.”

She took the older girl’s handbag and found a small tin. Rummaging through its contents, she pulled out what she was looking for, a pair of tweezers.

“Now hold still,” she said. Chloe did, gripping onto her chair a little tighter. Beca delicately moved the tweezers and gripped the offending stinger. “I’m going to pull it out now.” A second later, she yanked it out, making sure to not break it in the tiny wound and have to go back in.

She had experienced insect stings before. This one wasn’t too bad. Chloe didn’t seem to be exhibiting any alarming symptoms and there was no real swelling. Her skin was a little red but with some soap, water and time, it should go away on its own.

“How does it feel now?”

She had relaxed somewhat now. “It still stings a little but it’s okay now.”

The brunette looked at the wound again. She began pressing her fingers around the sting location, massaging it slightly. “Does that help?”

Chloe muffled a confirming sound.

Beca wasn’t sure what else she could do. Looking at her friend in pain, something within her triggered and she acted on instinct.

In terms of showing affection, she was being beaten by Chloe in every possible way. She rarely initiated hugs or hand holding. It felt one sided and that didn’t seem fair. She knew it was her fault and while Chloe didn’t seem to care, she knew she had to rectify the situation.

Leaning closer to the redhead’s neck, she placed her lips on her neck, just at the side of the sting. She could feel a jolt go through Chloe at the initiation of the contact and hear her breath out.

She pulled away, making sure to remember the feeling of soft skin against her lips. The effect it had on her friend was worth it.

“Beca-” Chloe began.

“What are you still doing here? Go get that cleaned,” Beca said, pointing to the bathroom. She then turned back to her computer and continued to work. She could feel Chloe’s eyes on her for a few more seconds, the older girl clearly surprised.

“Thanks, Beca,” she said before returning a kiss to the cheek and walking away.

Beca smiled to herself. She still had a long way to go to catch up to the amount of affection Chloe had shown her but this was a start. It was strange how easy it had been once she had finally done it. It felt nice to comfort, through actions rather than words. It was such a small thing but the effect on her friend had been positive.

Recently, whenever Chloe would kiss her, which happened often and randomly, she found herself wanting to return the touch. She wanted to show that she actually appreciated them, that she looked forward to each one.

Kissing Chloe had been something that was on her mind lately. Whenever they were together, she noticed that she was looking at Chloe and wanting to pull her close and just surprise her with a kiss. Not being used to the feeling, she wasn’t really sure how to go about it.

Chloe did things to her that she didn’t fully understand. She caught herself looking at Chloe from time to time. Close proximity made her heart race and the sensation of skin on skin contact was amplified. It was a feeling she was beginning to indulge in far too much. Her mind would, on occasion, just turn to mush when she looked at her. Like other things recently, it should have scared her but she wasn’t able to explain the warm feeling she got whenever any of those things happened.

The redhead came back a few minutes earlier. She had a big smile plastered on her face.

“You feeling better?” Beca asked.

“Much.”

She took a moment to look at her friend. Chloe was beautiful, everything about her. From the way she smiled to the way her eyes lit up. It was hard to turn away, her features incredibly alluring. As expected, the feelings she described came back to her.

“Is something wrong?” Chloe asked, bring her out of her daydream.

“No, not really.”

“Why are you looking at me?”

“I just wanted to.”

Chloe blushed, averting her eyes for a brief second. She moved a little closer and pulled up the folder containing the day’s work. When Beca didn’t stop looking, she grabbed ahold of her hand and pulled her towards her.

She looked like she was going to say something but just smiled before giving another kiss to Beca’s cheek, her hands resting lightly on Beca’s shoulders before trailing down her chest.

She broke contact and returned to work, her hand still holding the brunette’s.

The idea that two people can just exchange a look and know what the other was thinking had never been something Beca had believed in. Right now though, she was positively sure she saw joy in Chloe’s eyes. All from a simple kiss to her neck. She would have been surprised by how something so small could make her so happy but then she would be a hypocrite.

Chloe had taught her that affection wasn’t something to be embarrassed about. It was intimate, only for the two of them. She didn’t need to worry about being awkward. She finally understood that if she gave into her need to make Chloe happy, the rest would be simple.

She knew the connection she felt with Chloe was special. As she looked down at the supple fingers intertwined with her own, she realized just how lucky she was to have sat down next this girl. Someone who understood her like no other. Someone who allowed her to actually express herself and show emotion. There was a side of her she was discovering and it was all because of this one special girl.

_Chloe, I’m Glad You Exist._


	10. Chapter 10

**Monday - September 12th**

“I can’t sleep!” Chloe said, her voice exasperated. They had been in bed for about two hours now and both hadn’t been able to fall asleep. Beca didn’t mind. This had been a more common occurrence prior to meeting Chloe and she knew there was little she could do about it. It usually meant a tougher day tomorrow with less sleep but she had grown accustomed to it, now able to function on only three hours of sleep.

Chloe, on the other hand, wasn’t capable of it. She was the one who would force Beca to spend five more minutes in bed on a Saturday which led to them being asleep until noon. The brunette didn’t complain. She felt needed whenever Chloe tugged on her clothing and snuggled into her, apparently incapable of sleeping without the other girl.

“Neither can I,” Beca said, opening one eye to peek at the girl next to her.

“You seem rather calm about it.”

“I’m somewhat of an insomniac so this is familiar.”

Chloe turned to face her and Beca fully opened her eyes. “What do you usually do?”

“Nothing,” she replied. “I just sort of have to deal with it.”

“I’m not sure that’s healthy.”

Beca pondered the dilemma. This had been a problem all her life but there was a time where she could remember it being less of a burden.

“There is something we could try," she said.

“At this point, I’m open to anything.”

The chances of it even working on fully grown adults would be pretty low. Still, there was something about revisiting this, especially with Chloe, which pushed her to do it.

Slipping out of the bed, she made her way to the closet and began pulling out pillows, as many as she could find. She then went into the living room and collected some of the decorative cushions on the couch before bundling them all under her arm and returning to the bed.

Chloe had sat up at this point and was watching curiously as she began construction. The pillows and cushions were placed around the perimeter of the bed apart from the headboard. A wall was created, making their bed space much smaller. She then collected a notebook from Chloe’s desk and several colored pens which she threw at the redhead.

Once she was happy with her creation, she jumped over her makeshift wall and took a seat next to Chloe, both now resting against the headboard.

“This was a dumb idea,” Beca finally said.

“I’m not even sure what I’m looking at.”

“How’s your imagination?”

“Colorful and wildly uncontrollable,” Chloe replied.

“Perfect.” Beca wasn’t sure her imagination was up to the task anymore but she was once again overwhelmed by memories of her mother. She never thought she would do this again with anyone else. The one time she had attempted to do it alone, a few months after her mother’s passing, she ended up in tears.

The redhead’s eyes were on her once again, observing the lapse in her awareness. She decided to explain.

“I’ve always had trouble sleeping, even when I was young. We tried things like warm milk and counting sheep and all sorts of other methods to help me. Eventually, my mother made a game that would hopefully tire me out enough.” She looked at Chloe who was paying laser-like attention to her. She always seemed to perk up a little more at the mention of Beca’s mother. “She would pretend that the bed was a spaceship and we were flying across the universe. Each night would be a new adventure. I was assigned captain and I would order her around as we fought aliens.”

“That sounds so adorable,” Chloe squealed. “Did it work?”

“When I was young it did, eventually we started doing it out of habit. It was bonding time for me and her. The last time was at college. We just sat and talked, still pretending we were floating through space.”

"You must miss her a lot."

Beca nodded.

Chloe smiled, taking her hand. “Thank you for sharing this with me. I can tell it means a lot to you.” She always seemed to be able to read a situation.

She was the right person to share this with. Beca knew almost as soon as she started explaining it. She didn’t want this to be associated with the death of her mother. It was something her mother had passed on to someone else and Chloe was perfect for it. She was saddened for a moment at the fact that she could never introduce Chloe to her mother. They would have gotten along so well.

“What do we do now?” Chloe asked.

“First, we decide who should be captain. Do you want to lead?”

Chloe thought about it. “Are co-captains allowed?”

“Absolutely.”

“Good, because I don’t think I’d be able to follow your commands anyway.”

Beca grinned. “I don’t think I’d have the heart to eject you from the vessel for disobedience either.”

They spent the next few minutes talking in unnecessary detail about their imaginary spacecraft. Chloe had a mission plan already and briefed her on what she wanted to accomplish. Her methods were far more peaceful than Beca was used to, having killed aliens who stepped out of line easily. Chloe was interested in diplomacy with the aliens which would involve comical conversations with things that weren’t there.

Once preparations were complete, they set off. Beca was assigned as the pilot. They navigated several star systems, all hastily drawn on a map made moments earlier. There were far fewer combat scenarios than normal.

“I think I can agree to those terms, Mr. Space Frog,” Chloe announced to the imaginary video screen in front of her.

“Chloe, we can’t keep peacefully trading with everyone we meet.”

The redhead shook her head. “Look Beca, you wanted to murder them but I got us space tomatoes so who got the better deal?” She said triumphantly.

“The space tomatoes don’t exist!” Beca exclaimed.

“Do I need to call the ship’s medic to make sure you’re ok, Becs?” Chloe asked, her tone full of fake concern.

“You’re the ship’s medic too!”

Chloe could only hold it together for so long before bursting into full-blown laughter. Beca grumbled before a smile forced its way onto her.

“I promise to let you kill the next aliens we meet,” Chloe said, finally relenting.

The brunette frowned. “When you say it like that, it makes me sound like a crazy person.”

“Wait! No one told you? I thought you were aware of your insanity.”

Chloe received a pillow in the face for that. Only to be verbally countered on the fact that by removing the pillow, Beca would have been sucked out into space and that it was only through Chloe’s kindness that she was allowed back on the ship.

She was forced down against the bed and Chloe pretended to operate. Gliding her hands over her body, touching exposed skin. Resuscitation involved tickling until the patient begged for forgiveness. Beca deemed it customary to thank the ship's medic by attempting to kick her off the bed.

After many space battles and a fake cargo bay full of fake space vegetables, it was becoming clear that their adventure was having the intended effect. Chloe, who was moving around their makeshift craft rather liberally early on, became calmer and rested against her.

Little by little, she watched as Chloe slipped into slumber. It was a fascinating thing. The drowsiness of her eyes, the lack of effort in her responses and the constant yawning. It was nothing short of charming. Like a cheetah cub after a long day of play.

Beca stayed awake a little longer. This had been a glimpse into the life the two of them would have had if they had met at a younger age. Suddenly twenty-four didn’t seem so young. That was twenty-four years she hadn’t been without Chloe. Despite having the vast majority of her life ahead of her, she made sure to make their time together count.

* * *

**Wednesday - September 14th**

Chloe became alarmed when she heard Beca spitting underneath their desk. The brunette had gone down to fix the computer. Despite Benji being capable IT support, she insisted on doing it herself. Chloe didn’t mind, Beca wasn’t being stubborn, she was just showing some initiative.

“You okay?” Chloe asked, peeking down.

“Fine, the dust from the fan blew into my mouth.”

“Lovely.” The redhead sat down on the ground and watched the other girl work.

Beca glanced away from the computer for a moment. “How’s the novel coming along?”

“Good, I think.” She was currently happy with it. Ask her at any other time and she would loathe it. The way it came in swings was surprising. One minute, she would in awe of what she had written and then the next morning, she would have erased it without a second thought.

“Tell me about it.”

“It’s not very interesting, Becs. I don’t get why you’re so curious.”

“Because I’m its number one fan apparently. And that’s counting you,” Beca retorted.

“Fine!” Chloe said, giving in. It might not hurt to run some of it by her friend, especially considering that she is the other main character in the book. “What do you want to know?”

“Literally anything you want to share.”

She wasn’t really sure how to present the story. There were no acts and in focused mostly on the two main characters. “Well, there’s no real overarching plot. It’s more little vignettes that focus on a certain aspect of Beverly and Clarissa’s relationship.”

“Who’s who?” Beca asked.

“You’re Beverly and I’m Clarissa.”

“I’m guessing it’s not a contemporary work then.”

Chloe was impressed with the other girl’s deduction. “You’re right. It’s set in the early fifties. Clarissa has managed to secure a loan for the property where the pastry shop would be. She runs into Beverly on her way to make the final arrangements when she is informed that the value has gone up due to a new buyer. Beverly has been looking to buy it too and is also unable to afford it. Clarissa invites the frustrated Beverly for a cup of tea.” Beca turns and smiles knowingly. “She finds out that Beverly had wanted to open a chocolate shop, her speciality, at the location. Their conversation veers away from shops and she begins to enjoy Beverly’s company. As they are about to depart, Clarissa suggests opening a shop together combining their money and gives her telephone number so Beverly can think it over. She replies after two days.”

The brunette removes the fan she had been messing with from the case and passes it Chloe who begins to wiping away the dust. “That sounds really good.”

“Thanks.”

“Why vignettes?” Beca asked.

“I wanted to represent their relationship realistically. Most friendships don’t form because of huge drama or a sequence of related events. It’s moments throughout their time together that build and solidify that connection.” Chloe was happy with that phrasing. It conveyed what she was trying to achieve and it was surprisingly easy to talk to Beca about this stuff once she got going.

She watched as Beca unhooks the graphics card from the case before checking it thoroughly. “How do you keep it from veering away from your initial idea?” Beca asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, with no real plot, there is no natural stopping point. How do you know when you’ve finished?”

The redhead took the graphics card from the floor and sprayed it with compressed air. “Each vignette will focus on one aspect of their friendship. Things like trust and loyalty. Some things like becoming comfortable with each other will be done in several vignettes, though they are still unconnected. The story is complete once all aspects of our friendship have been recorded.”

“Recorded?”

Chloe nodded. “While I’m writing it as a novel, it’s more of a way for me to remember our friendship.”

Beca looked at her for a moment, her eyes focused completely, no attention on the computer whatsoever. ”It really means that much to you?”

“Of course, Beca. You’re the reason I even feel confident enough to talk about my writing.”

They finished the final repairs to the computer and Chloe fired it up to test it. There were no problems. Beca emailed Benji just to inform him of what they did. Chloe went to the bathroom and returned with a damp cloth which she began using on Beca to remove the dust and dirt that had gotten onto her face.

Chloe realized in that moment that she needed to capture how important Beca was to her writing. Prior to meeting the brunette, her love of it had been waning. She didn't have as much time as she would have liked after getting a job. It was Beca who had inspired her to begin again. Furthermore, she was the first person Chloe had really shared any of her work with. Her family knew of it but none of them had the details.

“Would you mind sharing one of the vignettes with me? I know they’re still a work in progress but I’d like to hear one regardless,” Beca asked, her tone light and welcoming.

“Okay.” Chloe was still a little hesitant.

She took a moment before explaining. “One of them happens about a third of the way through, when the shop catches on fire. Beverly jumps into the shop to put the fire out. Clarissa doesn’t realize that her friend is in the shop until she sees a silhouette fall. She rushes in and pulls Beverly out. She is unconscious and is in need of medical care so Clarissa rushes her to the hospital. There she realizes just how much Beverly matters to her. You can probably guess where I got the idea from.”

Beca nodded. “I don’t think I can apologize enough.”

Chloe continued. “Beverly wakes up and gets an earful from Clarissa. She tries to explain that she did it to save the shop that Clarissa loves so dearly.” She took a breath. “Clarissa is uninterested in the reasons, her love for her friend making her frightened. Images of an unconscious Beverly still in her mind.” By now her voice was increasing in intensity. ”She fails to understand that Beverly cares for her just as much. Her love blinding her. It is only later in the story that she realizes Beverly’s intentions. While they were misguided, they are done because of how much she cares about Clarissa.”

Beca is silent. Chloe has not made eye contact since she started.

“This is early in the story, when both characters discover how much they care for the other but are not aware of how much the other cares for them. Beverly cares about Clarissa, that’s why she tries to save the shop. Clarissa cares about Beverly. She’s happy to watch the whole town burn if it meant Beverly was safe.”

Beca moves closer to Chloe, laying a soft kiss on her cheek before pulling her into a hug.

* * *

**Friday - September 16th**

“Guess we’re not going home just yet,” Chloe said, looking out at the street. The torrential downpour assaulting the pavement with a barrage of wet drops. They were stood at the entrance to the building, in the nice lobby with several other people all waiting for the rain to stop.

Beca was undeterred by it. She snatched Chloe’s handbag and put her phone inside it. It was then returned promptly to her confused friend.

“Come on,” she said, taking Chloe’s hand in her own and locking their fingers together. The redhead softened at the moment of contact and complied with her request, following her out of the lobby and into the harsh environment outside.

The first few drops were cold, causing both girls to visibly shudder. There was so much water coming down that they became accustomed to the temperature quickly. The actual temperature prior to the rain had been pleasant so it wasn’t as bad as expected.

“This doesn’t seem like a good idea,” Chloe said, her voice raised a little due to the rain and the sound of the passing traffic as Beca led her across the street.

“Trust me.”

She did this often. It was calming to walk through the rain. Just her and the music seeping in through her earphones, with only a few other pedestrians in sight. The fresh smell that the rain created and the cooling effect it had on her skin was wondrous.

As they made their way towards home, they had to contest with a few obstacles. Puddles to walk around and temporary streams to wade through. Even with caution, their shoes became damp and eventually water could be felt inside. Their blazers had absorbed a good amount of liquid at this point and hung a little heavier on them. All of this reducing their body temperature.

It wasn’t uncomfortable though, more relaxing. The only source of heat coming from their interlocked fingers.

They had to get out of the way of other pedestrians, all scrambling around at a much faster pace to try and get to shelter. A number of bewildered looks were received at the two of them walking so casually but they soon faded into the rain, so thick it was blurring distant vision.

Crossing through the park was the fastest way home. Here, the true beauty of rain was on display. The water added a shine to every surface, bringing out the colorful greens of the leaves on the trees and the grass. The pond nearby was a whirlwind of activity as raindrops created disruption on its surface.

Chloe moved closer to the brunette, placing her head on her shoulder. “This is wonderful,” she said, her movement had slowed and the rain hitting her didn’t seem to be bothering her. Beca just smiled at her, guiding her further into the park.

They soon came upon a bench overlooking one of the ponds. Beca pulled the two of them down onto it. Chloe snuggled against her.

“It feels like we’re the only two people left on earth, doesn’t it?” Chloe said.

The sound of the city was muffled and there was no one else around, the only life apart from them being the flora around them, ducks and some frogs.

Being with someone else was a completely different experience to being alone. Beca would use the rain as a way to lose herself in her thoughts, taking a second out of the real world. With Chloe, it was more sensual. She wasn’t over thinking aspects of her life, her focus on the girl next to her and being glad she finally got to share this experience.

Chloe began shifting around, getting up onto the bench and finally moving on top of her. She put her legs on either side of Beca and looped her arms around her neck, their foreheads now touching.

Beca could feel the rhythm of the other girl’s breathing against her. It was also hard to maintain eye contact, her line of vision glancing down towards Chloe’s lips every few seconds. This sort of proximity was rather intoxicating, making her already lax brain become convoluted.

Moments later, Chloe pulled away, using her fingers to remove the few wet strands of hair that had fallen onto Beca’s face. She then smiled at her. Her top was soaked through, her pink underwear clearly visible.

“We’re going to catch a cold,” she said.

“Like we were going to do anything productive this weekend," Beca countered.

“That’s not the point.”

Chloe’s focus turned to Beca’s shirt. She undid the first two buttons, the brunette not doing anything to stop her. There was no one around to see anything and she was pretty curious anyway.

Chloe opened the shirt a little wider and placed her lips on the exposed skin on Beca’s neck. Beca felt a tingling sensation for a few seconds on a single spot before the lips were removed and ghosted past her neck, onto her cheek where a final kiss was placed. The redhead pulled back and was looking rather proudly at the spot on Beca’s neck.

“What?” she asked, confused as to what had just occurred.

Chloe smiled. “I left a love bite.” she rubbed the skin on her neck again, her focus returning there. “You don’t mind do you?” she asked.

Beca shook her head, still confused.

Chloe had confusion in her eyes. “Are you ok?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your heart, it’s beating so fast.” She had her hand just above Beca’s heart. She placed her cheek against it to hear it better, only causing the beating to increase.

Throughout the love bite process, Beca had become hyper aware of the sensation against her skin. The press of Chloe’s soft lips, the flick of her tongue, their bodies flush against each other.

She moved the redhead’s face from her chest and placed it against her forehead once again.

“I’m fine, Chloe.”

She received a kiss on the cheek. She pulled her companion closer to her. Chloe moved to nestle into Beca’s shoulder.

_She looks so beautiful when she's a little dishevelled like this._

_She smells nice._

_I should stop staring at her eyes._

_She's so warm._

A drop of water trickle down Chloe's face and made its way onto her upper lip.

_I'm attracted to you, aren't I?_

She exhaled slowly.

_I'm attracted to you._

Her heart rate began increasing again.

She was attracted to her. To Chloe.

She wanted to kiss her, full on the lips, taste her even. She wanted to have her fingers running through the redhead’s luscious hair. She wanted to get wrapped up in a cloud of her pheromones. She wanted to hold her.

Her calmness at her realization didn't surprise her. It wasn't a sudden thing. It had been gradual. She hadn't dismissed what she had been feeling towards Chloe, only choosing not to label it. The previous few weeks had been eye opening. They were small steps that slowly opened her eyes to something she had known all along. She now knew who she truly was.

Never having been this close with someone before, she wasn’t aware of what she was fully feeling before. She just assumed it was part of how close they were. The odd glances and lingering looks had come first, then an inkling of something more. Kisses, hugs and touching became associated with a plethora of new sensations and it was all she could do to try and process them.

Her mother used to ask her if she was dating any boys in school. It started when she was young as a way of teasing and continued till she was around sixteen. Suddenly, all the questions stopped. Her mother was much more culturally aware than she was but she never really expressed it out loud when she was young. It was around the same time she stopped asking about boys that she became a little more vocal of some of her opinions. Particularly her stance on homosexuality. She became incredibly supportive of their cause, going as far as to educate Beca on it. She had known. She had known what took Beca twenty four-years and figure out and accept.

It wasn’t a moment of complete happiness though. Once the implications of her attraction became clear, she knew she had to back away from it. There are enough guys in the world who only became friends with girls in the hope of something more. She criticized them frequently and she wasn’t going to be one of them. Chloe didn’t enter this relationship with that in mind and it would be unfair for Beca to look for more.

She sighed.

“You’re zoning out on me again, Becs. Did you really not like the hickey?” Chloe said, her voice refocusing the brunette.

“Sorry,” Beca replied. She touched the spot where the mark was slowly forming. “I like it and I can’t even see it.”

Chloe smiled again.

“Could you hold me a little closer?”

Beca complied, looping her arms more firmly around the girl’s waist. Chloe breathed out, her whole body seeming to relax further into the hold. She used the crook of the brunette’s neck as a pseudo cover from the rain despite the rest of her body getting soaked further.

Beca wasn’t cold though. Not even remotely. With the way her heart was racing, with the way the redhead was positioned and with her new discovery, she felt warm.

This would have to do though. This was as close as they were going to get. She wouldn’t trade this for anything in the world. She wasn’t going to mess this up with her attraction.

It would have to pass.


	11. Chapter 11

**Saturday - September 24rd**

Ten phone calls. Not a single answer.

It was approaching four o’clock in the morning and Chloe had yet to return. She had gone out with some of her old friends. Beca had politely declined their invitation. The redhead had told her that she would return at one o’clock at the latest.

Beca was beginning to worry. Actually, she had been worrying since two o’clock. Now it was closer to fear. There was a chance that the group got side tracked but ten missed calls is too many.

She was sat on the couch, twiddling her thumbs and mindlessly watching the television. She couldn’t sleep and if it became five o’clock before Chloe returned, she would have to go out there and find her.

Try the phone again...

Nothing.

Another cup of coffee to occupy her time, the effects of the caffeine not really needed. In fact, the taste was getting to her. She had brushed her teeth twice already. She was actually happy that she couldn’t fall asleep. Her waking thoughts were currently filled with all the horrible things that might have happened to Chloe, she didn’t really want them to become nightmares.

At half past four, a knock could be heard at the door. Beca practically sprinted to it and opened it to find a very inebriated Chloe. Her clothing was falling off her and she wasn’t standing straight. Her eyes were unable to focus, darting around the place.

“Where have you been?!” The brunette hadn’t said anything for the past few hours and all of her worry at the situation was about to come out.

“Lost track of time.” With that, Chloe made her way past Beca into the room.

The smaller, now bewildered girl, rushed in after her. “You didn’t answer any calls, I was worried.”

“We were fine, Beca.” There was a bite to her tone.

“You don’t look it. How’d you get home?”

“Walked.” The bar was really far away, Chloe was in no state to get home on her own. Beca was even angrier at the redhead’s so-called friends who had allowed her to get home like this.

“You’re barely holding it toge-”

“I’m fine!” Chloe shouted, immediately silence the younger girl.

A few seconds ticked by which felt much longer for Beca.

“I was just-”

“I am a grown woman, Beca. I don’t need to you protect me. I can take care of myself. I’m not you’re fucking damsel in distress!”

“Chlo-”

“The last time you tried to ‘save’ me, you nearly got yourself killed so I’ll kindly ask you to stop! I’ll judge if I’m ok, I’ll decide when I come home and if you don’t like it, you can leave!”

Beca was utterly confused. This was a side of Chloe she had never seen before. She had no idea where this was coming from. There were no real words coming to her, totally unprepared for the verbal assault coming from the other girl.

“I’m sorry, Chloe.” It was all she could muster.

Chloe was still visibly teeming and stormed into the bedroom.

* * *

Morning. No warm body snuggling up next to her. A major headache and a horrible taste in her mouth. The light from the window is not the pleasant glow she needed to wake up.

Chloe turned in the bed to see that Beca really wasn’t there. It took her a few seconds, during which time she thought about where the brunette might be, to remember what had happened the night before.

She wanted to scream. Out loud.

To put it bluntly, her interactions with her so called friends last night had gone incredibly poorly. They were judgemental, sometimes rude and came across as not really caring about her. Initially, she had stayed long enough for them to become comfortable with her again but that didn’t go according to plan. She realized just how awesome Beca, Aubrey, and Stacie truly were. Around two in the morning, they had left her at the bar and she had just drunk herself silly, talking to an uninterested bartender. It was an oddly low moment for her.

There was also a frustration. Most of them had girlfriends and boyfriends with them and some were even married. Chloe had no one. Jealousy reared its ugly head. Throughout the night, every time she looked at one of the other couples, all she could think about was her cute little brunette waiting for her at home. She wished she could have told them about her amazing girlfriend. Beca was certainly amazing, she just wished the girlfriend part was true.

Then she had come home to make matters worse. Frustrated with the night? What better way to improve it than shout at the person who cared about her the most. That had gone perfectly. Flashes of Beca’s face began reappearing, the hurt look on her face. She hadn’t even tried to fight back against the false accusations. Chloe knew that if anyone else had been screaming at Beca, they would not have gotten off so lightly.

Her words had been hurtful. They were also directed at the wrong person. Beca had never treated her as the damsel or questioned her ability and skill regarding any aspect of their lives. She was never too proud to ask for help. Beca never made her feel inadequate, their relationship was mutualistic, beneficial to both sides and most importantly, equal.

She knew Beca’s motivations for her actions regarding the redhead. Yet, she had still gone and said something truly vile.

The headache would have to try harder if it was going to stop her from fixing this situation. Jolting out of bed was a bad idea though, momentarily disorienting her. She made her way to the bedroom door and opened it.

The first thing she noted was the smell, her vision still not great so soon after waking up. There was an aroma of bacon floating through the room. As her sight cleared, she could see Beca, in a red shirt and blue shorts, cooking. Her headphones were on so she was oblivious to Chloe’s presence.

As she walked further into the room, a few other things could be seen. For one, the couch still had a blanket on it as well as a pillow. More guilt to be added onto the pile. She had gotten in much later than she had told Beca she would and the brunette had stayed awake the whole time waiting only to feel like she couldn’t sleep on the bed that had been theirs for so long.

_This headache should be so much worse, I deserve it._

In the kitchen area, she found two plates with eggs, toast and pancakes drizzled with honey. The bacon was frying on the pan and Beca was paying careful attention to it.

Chloe tapped her on the shoulder, causing the other girl to jump a little and turn around, her headphones dropping to her shoulders.

“Hey,” she said, looking apprehensive and thereby making Chloe feel even worse.

“Hey,” the redhead replied.

A few moments of silence where Beca looked like she was searching for something in her eyes while Chloe tried to formulate the correct response. She hadn’t even expected the brunette to be here.

“Are you okay?” She was completely thrown by the question. Beca was concerned about her well-being right now?

“I’m fine, Becs.”

“Good.”

“I’m really sorry about yester-”

“It’s okay, Chlo.”

“No it isn’t. I didn’t mean any of the things I said. I was so angry yesterday after seeing my former friends that I was in a foul mood and I ended up drinking far more than I should have and talking to a bartender who doesn’t give a damn about me for hours on end and then I get home and shout at you when you hadn’t done anything wrong. In fact, you’ve been awake all night worrying about me and then I attack you the moment I walk into the room and I’m so sorry.” Chloe gasped.

“It really is okay, Chloe,” Beca said, smiling.

Chloe looked down. “I thought you had left,” she whispered.

Beca walked up to her, taking her hand. “You said that if I make a mistake, you wouldn’t run from me. That works both ways.”

Chloe allowed herself to slump and put her weight against the smaller girl who hugged her. “I’m so sorry.”

“Stop apologizing.” Beca ran her hand against Chloe’s back. The sensation was incredibly soothing. “I made breakfast, thought it might help with the hangover.”

The brunette then kissed her on the cheek. Even though Beca had started giving her kisses, they were rare and so unflinchingly gentle and tender that it was all Chloe could do to not melt. She cherished each one.

The pair ate at the dinner table for once, the sound of the television would not have been pleasant. Chloe couldn’t stop glancing at Beca and smiling. She was so incredibly lucky. Beca had stayed. She wasn’t even angry.

Chloe knew she had to make up for any hurt she might have caused and it didn’t feel like a fitting punishment because it just meant that she would be spending even more time with Beca. Punishments were supposed to be hard.

Beca insisted on clearing the plates. Chloe watched and waited for her to finish.

“Come on,” she said once the other girl was finished.

“Where?” The brunette asked.

“I’m going back to sleep and I need you in my bed.”

Beca blushed and followed her.

* * *

**Sunday - September 25th**

Chloe was alone on Sunday. Beca needed to be back home to work out some things with her apartment. She had repeatedly told the redhead that it had nothing to do with what happened and that she wasn’t upset with Chloe.

It was only after demanding that she stay a little longer that Beca finally left around midday. Chloe decided to work on her novel. While she had the first half written in a draft form, she was struggling to continue. The outline of the plot had problems.

The ending. She had been sure that once she covered all aspects of their relationship, she could find a way to conclude in a satisfying way. Both characters evolved throughout the story, changing their outlook once the conclusion neared. The evolution didn’t feel complete though.

She didn’t believe that her novel needed explosions or a big twist to conclude it. However, while her characters had grown, they had yet to make an impact on the world or truly manifest in the narrative.

That was the true problem.

She took a look at Beverly and Clarissa. The most important and interesting aspect of their relationship was how dependent they become on each other. She attempted to paint dependency in a positive way. They were not weakened by their need for the other, it actually made them happier which improved other aspects of their lives. It was certainly true for her and Beca. The words she was typing were a testament to that.

Exploration.

She dug into the more hidden parts of her mind and began writing about more unsafe aspects of the relationship. If this was going to be about Beca and Chloe’s relationship, then it would be unfair to not record what she was truly feeling right now. That was where the hiccup in the novel had occurred. Chloe had come to the point in where the line of friendship was blurring and while she could finish there, it would be ambiguous and with the way she had written so far, it would be incredibly unsatisfying.

She focussed on Clarissa, her character. More scenes were created, this time with intimacy. These new parts were not to display an aspect of their friendship, it was to convey an emotion through words. They contained no real plot. As the story progressed, these intimate moments would increase and begin to seem less like friendly interactions.

The first part of the novel had already covered some aspects of intimacy. Specifically the newly discovered feelings the two characters got from it. The second part would be understanding what it meant.

The third part.

Using her own experiences was more difficult than she imagined. For her to truly write the third part, she would need to come to terms with and understand what she was feeling completely. She wasn’t totally oblivious but there was a fear to what she would discover if she focused on it for too long.

Her novel needed her to do it though. It was the only way it would be complete and the only way she would be satisfied with it.

She began reading through the few chapters she had written down as well as the detailed plot outline she had constructed so far. Clarissa’s emotion and thought process were fully captured as it reflected her own.

Happiness. That was the primary emotion she felt as she read. All the scenes were reminders of her time with Beca. Each one also triggered memories she had yet to write down. Moments that were so strangely vivid in her mind despite their simple nature.

Every touch, she remembered.

Every smile, a calming ripple.

Every kiss, an imprint on her mind.

That was the answer to her question and the way she wanted to continue the novel.

Love.

She was in love with Beca.

Her story was about friendship and the aspects of that but she was beginning to realize that it was also coated with a thick layer of obliviousness.

It was interesting to look at the things her memory clung to. Things like her childhood memories and certain experiences were ingrained into her and were unlikely to be forgotten. It was the things that were missing from the recent years that surprised her the most. She couldn’t remember much about her time at college for example and looking back, it didn’t seem all that important to keep.

Her most important memories were spaced pretty evenly apart from each other. Nothing too significant happened close together. It was only when she reached closer to the present that a cluster of important memories presented themselves. They all involved Beca and her mind clung to them with the same vice grip that held onto her older memories. She could try to frame that as the memories being fresher. The problem with that is that there were memories that were very recent that were only a faint glimmer, memories that could be considered more important than a simple kiss she gave Beca before the pair of them went to sleep. Yet the kiss was the one that remained, vivid and colorful in her head despite being half asleep when the event occurred.

Taking that inspiration, she began completing the outline to the story. Clarissa would start to identify differences in her emotion when around Beverly. These new chapters would have mundane moments that would be significant to Clarissa. Chloe wanted to capture how important something as simple as holding Beca’s hand was to her.

Eventually, Clarissa would fall in love with Beverly.

Where would she take it from there? There were two options.

The first would be for Clarissa to reveal her love for her friend. Beverly would be surprised, say she is flattered and that she wishes to remain friends despite the new revelation. Clarissa would continue to love Beverly but move onto someone else. Chloe thinks this is the most realistic scenario given the circumstances.

The other option was special. It would start the same way as before but Beverly would reveal that she loves Clarissa as well.

The redhead could already see all the ways the scenario could play out.

Beverly would kiss Clarissa while she was trying to roll pastry, causing the rolling pin to fall from her hand and the flour to be knocked from the table. The two of them would ignore their surroundings, overwhelmed by the kiss.

Or, the two of them go to a theatre and watch a heartbreaking movie. Clarissa would come home and be a little depressed. Beverly would kiss her to cheer her up and it would only register a few moments after contact that she was kissing her best friend only to become lost in the action.

Or, Beca kissing her in the rain, under her favorite tree in the park. Chloe telling the brunette that she loved her and Beca reciprocating. The two of them walking home holding hands and falling asleep on the couch, exhausted from a long day at work.

She had to stop herself from falling into the fantasy.

This was her book and if it was going to be somewhat fantastical, she was going to have the best possible ending for the two characters. By the time she completed the book, she will have told Beca how she feels. She can have the book as a reminder.

Her novel might end up being a depressing fantasy. One she could look at to see what could have been.

Or it could be a true reflection of their relationship. One that would be a reminder of the way their love evolved.

Regardless, Clarissa and Beverly would fall in love and live happily ever after.

Chloe had already fallen in love with Beca. She would have to wait for the outcome of this story to conclude.

* * *

**Monday - September 26th**

Stacie and Chloe had been meeting up for tea for a while now. At least once a week, Beca and Aubrey would be tied up with other things and it would give them time to talk. It became about perspective for the redhead. They shared a lot of things together and it was about giving the other advice about certain decisions. Most of the time though, it was just about voicing out your thoughts to someone who was willing to listen and actually care.

Why wasn’t she doing this with Beca? There was a reason for that.

The discussion tended to be about the brunette and the blonde who weren’t present. They had never talked explicitly about Chloe’s attraction to Beca or Stacie’s obvious infatuation with Aubrey. It was always just behind the surface though.

“So how are you and Beca?” Stacie asked. This was usually how the questions went, phrased as though the two of them were already together.

“We’re fine.”

“Good.”

“How are things with Bree?”

“Fantastic.”

Today’s chat felt a little different, like they were both hesitating. Stacie couldn’t seem to keep still. Chloe wasn’t doing great either, she was the furthest thing from calm but she needed to get this out to someone.

“I think I’m in love with her,” she finally said. “I’m in love with Beca.”

Stacie took a moment to respond. “I’m in love with Aubrey.”

The redhead let out the breath she was unaware she was even holding. “It’s stupid.”

“What is?”

“Being in love.”

Stacie tilted her head in confusion. “How come?”

“Because as I’ve grown older, I’ve become more cynical. Whenever people say they’re in love, I tend to think the feelings they are describing are exaggerated. The only people who have been constants in my life have been my family. Friends tend to come and go. So the idea that a new individual could come in and become so significant always seemed like such an insane idea. Being in love looked like a fantasy that only existed in fiction. Sure, it has a basis in reality but I didn’t believe that you could find someone who you felt that strongly about.”

“Why is it stupid?”

“Because I never thought I’d find someone like Beca. I have no idea how to go about this. I feel like a hormonal teenager again who can’t figure out her feelings and is moping around trying to find ‘answers’.”

Stacie smiled at the description. “I don’t think that’s stupid. You want to tell her, you just don’t know how?”

“It’s not only that.”

“You think she’ll reject you?”

Chloe shook her head. “I can handle rejection,” she said. “But I’ve never told one of my friends I’m in love with them. How will they take it? Beca is my best friend. She may accept it but it’ll create an awkwardness between the two of us. I don’t want our relationship to be damaged by telling her.”

Stacie took a sip of her drink. “We both seem to have the same problem.”

“Why haven’t you told Aubrey? Are you afraid of rejection?”

Stacie sighed. “Yeah, for the first time in a long time. Bree isn’t another person who I can have a little fun with without too much emotional attachment. I don’t feel like I bring anything that she would want out of a relationship. I don’t think anyone has seen me as girlfriend material and I have no idea how to get her to see me like that.”

“You're worrying too much. She likes you because you’re awesome. You’re just a little too oblivious to see it.”

They smiled at each other. Their talks didn’t always end in answers but they came away a little happier.

“You should tell her,” Stacie said.

“I will if you will.”

Chloe didn’t need to worry about Aubrey’s response. She knew the blonde would return those feelings wholeheartedly. It didn’t even seem like a fair deal but if she could get Stacie to confess to Aubrey, then the pain of getting rejected by Beca would be somewhat lessened.

“You know I wasn’t talking about you when I said that friends come and go. I don’t think you’ll disappear,” the redhead said.

Stacie nodded. “I know.”

Even if all of this didn’t work out, she could see that she had made some lifelong friends.

“Bree and I got called into HR the other week. Apparently they thought that we were a couple. They wanted us to fill in some paperwork so that it was noted in the company files.”

“Same thing happened to us. How’d it go for you guys?”

“The most unexpected thing was how happy it made me feel when Harriet told us. I almost answered yes when she asked if we were in a relationship.”

“I wrote ‘Beca & Chloe Forever’ on a cake we made together. Beca didn’t complain.”

Stacie grinned. “I forced myself to watch the scariest movie I could find so that I had an excuse to snuggle up with her.”

“I managed to leave a love bite on her neck.”

“I force her to eat breakfast, a meal she likes to miss constantly, by sitting on her lap and spoon feeding her cereal while we watch early morning cartoons.”

“Beca’s more into the Disney channel.”

Stacie pulled out her phone and presented it to Chloe. Her wallpaper was a selfie of the two of them. Aubrey was holding the camera and blushing madly, the brunette kissing her on the cheek.

The redhead took out her phone and started scrolling through the address book. She selected one of the numbers and dialled it. She then turned the phone so Stacie could see it. The screen said ‘Calling Honey’. Moments later, Beca’s voice came through the phone.

The two of them continued to share stories back and forth and eventually lost track of time. This was the first time they had delved into this area of conversation. They might as well have been in their pyjamas at a sleepover with the way things were going. Beca would be the first person to read her book but Stacie and Aubrey would get the next copy.

Their time was coming to a close. Chloe got up and hugged her friend. They had to return to their respective partners, now feeling a little better knowing that there was someone else out there going through similar problems.

“Good luck,” said Stacie.

“You too.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Tuesday - October 4th**

“How’s the pasta coming along?” Aubrey asked.

“It’s nearly done,” Stacie replied.

“Good.” The blonde had beads of sweat collecting on her forehead. Obvious signs of the pressure that was currently weighing on her. “Thanks for the help, Stace.”

“No problem.”

Stacie had jumped at the chance to help out with the dinner. She wanted to take some of the stress off her friend. Aubrey’s father was arriving today and the brunette didn’t really like the effect it had on the other girl.

Aubrey was a strong, confident girl most of the time but whenever the topic of her father came up, she became timid. She would describe their relationship and it was always in a tone that sounded like she was justifying his actions.

As Stacie began setting the table, they heard a knock on the door. She could see Aubrey opening it and hugging the man who walked in.

He was a little shorter than the blonde. Dressed in a long sleeve collared pink shirt and long black pants. His face showed his age but his wrinkles were defined, giving his face a strength. The aged look was completed by the salt and pepper hair combed back and perfectly in place.

The two of them made their way over to Stacie.

The first thing she noted before even looking at the father was Aubrey’s smile. It was forced, not actually reaching her eyes.

“Stacie, this is my dad, Michael," the blonde said.

Stacie held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, sir.”

“Likewise.” He shook her hand firmly.

With pleasantries exchanged, she allowed the two of them to get reacquainted while she put the finishing touches on the dinner.

Once everything was ready, she called out into the living room and everyone sat around the table. Michael sat opposite Aubrey with Stacie at her side. Initially, there was little talk other than a few compliments on the food by both of them.

The conversation that followed was difficult to watch. Michael mostly asked about how things have been going and Aubrey offered clipped answers in response. She looked almost downtrodden and the few questions she asked were done in a practiced way. It was like watching a dry play. Rehearsed and lacking any real emotion from either side.

“How’s work?” he asked

“It’s going well, I was promoted recently,” Aubrey said. This statement was a little different, there was a sliver of hope in the tone of her voice.

“You’re making acceptable progress.”

And that sliver just flew away. Stacie watched as the other girl’s body slump slightly in her chair and her eyes drop back down to the food.

The brunette reached under the table and slowly took Aubrey’s hand into her own. As delicately as she could, she began interlocking each of her individual fingers with the blonde’s, caressing each one as the connection finished. The objective was to take her mind off the current situation, slip into a pocket of time where there was only the two of them.

Aubrey turned her head and offered a weak smile. At least it was genuine.

The rest of the evening went more smoothly. She attempted to include Stacie into the discussion more frequently and kept mentioning snippets of their time together despite Michael having little to no interest in them. Stacie was surprised by how much detail Aubrey remembered. Towards the end, she was fighting back a smile. All in all, he only stayed for about two hours before departing and Stacie had never been happier to see the apartment door close.

She didn’t ask Aubrey how it went and she didn’t voice her opinions on Michael. It was a quiet end to the day. Hot chocolate was made and the two of them settled on the couch to watch something light.

Pretty soon the events of the day took their toll on Aubrey, eventual resulting in Stacie forcing her into bed. She then went to work cleaning the plates and generally tidying the place up a little. Finally, she took a shower and slipped in next to her bedmate.

Aubrey was still awake, although just at the brink of slumber and she was smiling at her.

“Why’re you so happy?” the brunette asked.

“It doesn’t matter.” With that, Aubrey snuggled into her. “Thanks for getting me through the night, Stace.”

“Always.”

Stacie liked to think she had a superpower.

Aubrey was unable to switch off easily. When the two had met, she had told her that things like falling asleep or just relaxing were difficult for her because the next thing she needed to do was always looming over the horizon. Her break time needed to be incorporated into her schedule and the twenty-eight days of vacation time allotted to the employees at Pitch Perfect had to be taken in one go just to switch to a less work orientated mindset.

That had apparently been the case prior to meeting Stacie. For whatever reason, she had the amazing ability to relax the other girl. Whether it was a gentle touch or a kiss, she helped to pull Aubrey away from her work.

Regardless of her mood though, it wasn’t difficult for Stacie to understand why she loved her. Aubrey was so much more than a workaholic. She was an overachiever with morals that were intrinsic to her being. There was a sense of justice about her. Around the office, she would look out for the interests of other employees, especially female ones.

On a number of occasions, Stacie had been harassed by some of the other employees regarding her liberal sex life prior to meeting the blonde. It was none of their business and when Aubrey had found out about them, she had spoken strongly with each individual involved.

Aubrey had an odd blindness. She was a good person that was unable to see it for herself. The people around her only reflected the uptight workaholic back at her.

“You know that I think you’re awesome, right? Because I do,” Stacie said.

They were unable to see Aubrey for who she was and in a selfish sense, Stacie was happy about that.

It meant she could keep her all to herself.

* * *

**Thursday - October 6th**

Crunch time is a term given to a period in a project where staff work longer hours to meet a deadline. Some companies have crunch built into their schedules while others are forced into it due to unforeseen circumstances.

Pitch Perfect did not have them built in and it had arrived. The management had allowed the employees the ‘privilege’ of working past their required time and extended the ‘courtesy’ of leaving the office open for longer. Apparently the maintenance staff and security guards were thrilled with the new development.

Beca was sitting at her desk staring into her computer with the seventh cup of hot beverage today. The caffeine didn’t help but the short process of making the drink allowed her to clear her head and take a break.

It had just passed seven o’clock.

The light above her flickered. She didn’t notice it at first until it happened again. And again.

The flickering became rapid until the lights completely went off.

The next thing she noticed was that the power to the light on the desk had also cut out. She immediately saved her work just before the power supply gave in and the screen shut off. The darkness outside made it difficult to see anything in the room, the only light coming faintly from the windows.

Only Beca, Chloe, Stacie, Aubrey and two other employees were on the current floor.

A maintenance worker walked into the room and informed them that the power would be back in an hour or so.

The redhead was near the centre of the floor collecting files on their current client. It would be even darker there. Furthermore, she had left her phone on the desk.

Taking out her own phone, Beca flicked on the flashlight and made her way towards the center. Despite the lack of actual danger, the moment the lights had switched off, her instinctive thought had been to find Chloe. The other girl would have difficulty getting back to their desk anyway.

As suspected, the hallway leading to the records room was blacker than the midnight sky. She walked slowly, the light from her phone was relatively weak and she didn't want to trip on anything.

Reaching her destination, she flashed her light into the room to find Chloe looking back at her. She was sat on a desk and her eyes turned towards the source of the light. It was clear that she couldn’t figure out who was holding the light though, Beca still shrouded in darkness.

“Come on, Chlo,” Beca called out.

The redhead perked up and approached the brunette before wrapping her arms around the smaller girl’s neck and pulling her into an embrace. Beca accepted the action and followed suit. The light from the phone was blocked by her fingers and the two found themselves surrounded in darkness.

“I can’t believe we’re still here,” Chloe said. She began moving her hand down Beca’s back, dragging her fingers against the thin fabric. It was almost like she was trying to get comfortable against a pillow by nuzzling against Beca’s neck, a few kisses where the love bite had mostly faded.

Beca wasn’t fond of being used but this was different. Her friend was adorable whenever she went into an almost childlike state of seeking comfort. It was most notable in bed when they cuddled.

“Is this okay?” Chloe asked.

The question was often asked in bed. Right after she became comfortable, she would ask if the other girl was okay with their positioning. The brunette found the blip of uncertainty in an otherwise confident girl to be endearing.

“Yeah, but we should get back to the cubicle.”

“Sorry, I’m just getting sleepy and you’re my favorite pillow.”

Without any more words, Chloe broke the embrace before trailing her fingers down Beca’s arm and interlocking their fingers together. Beca began leading them back to their cubicle. She knew that the redhead didn’t need to be holding her hand to find her way. She probably didn’t even need to wait for Beca to come get her. They had stopped questioning their subconscious actions long ago, allowing them to occur.

Once they were back at their desk, instead of sitting on her chair, Chloe sat down on the ground, next to the floor-to-ceiling window. She then tugged on Beca’s arm.

“Come sit with me.”

Beca complied, taking position next to her and leaning against the side of their cubicle. Chloe crawled onto her lap and made herself comfortable again in an almost catlike fashion.

The night combined with the lack of power made their familiar office magical. The only light was the warm glow of the bustling city below that just managed to permeate into the edges of the large floor. The cars on the busy roads were visible due to the blips of their lights. Cities like this one tended to be a good source of light pollution but Beca was almost sure that she could make out a few stars in the sky.

Perhaps it was wishful thinking brought on by the girl in her lap, more wondrous than anything surrounding her.

Beca was content when she was with Chloe. At first, she thought it was because of a desperation for affection that she didn’t have before. However, this wouldn’t be accurate. Beca prided herself on her independence. Prior to meeting Chloe, she hadn’t received the kind of love and care she got from the redhead. She didn’t need it to be able to continue her life.

It wasn’t affection she needed, it was Chloe. Specifically Chloe.

She was a warm, caring and intelligent person more vibrant than even her already spirited outward persona. It was easy to love her.

That’s the key word. Love.

Beca was in love with her. Chloe didn’t need to make her life more interesting. People don’t tend to fall in love with bombast. No, Beca loved Chloe because experiencing everyday life with her made the brunette feel more awake, more aware of the things around her.

The meaning of love for Beca wasn’t finding someone who was the same as her. It wasn’t about attraction either. The most important thing was just having someone along for the ride and it always felt like the redhead was holding her hand through every one of their experiences, whether physically or mentally.

Chloe had her face close to the glass of the window and she was looking at the city below. “It’s so pretty from up here.” She reached for her handbag and pulled out a bag of gumdrops. She took out one of the red ones and put it into her mouth. “Color?”

“Orange.”

Chloe rummaged in the bag and took out an orange one before placing it carefully in Beca’s open mouth, her fingers lingering for a brief moment on the brunette’s lips. She looked mystical in the darkness, the light causing her blue eyes to glisten.

Beca leaned closer and kissed her on the cheek and felt the older girl’s body relax and press against her. Chloe started lightly touching the brunette’s neck with the tips of her fingers, the contact soothing in nature.

“Are we going to talk about it?” the redhead asked.

“About what?”

“The trust exercises.”

“What about them?”

“We were the only ones to fail, Chloe argued.

Beca held back her grin. “I don’t see how that’s my fault.”

Chloe looked agitated. “Well, you didn’t catch me and I hit my head pretty hard.”

“I thought you said you were going to count to three before falling. I was waiting for that.”

The brunette could almost hear the other girl grit her teeth. “I said no such thing.” Chloe said each word slowly and sharply.

Beca allowed her smile to form and pulled Chloe against her chest and kissed the top of her head where she had taken the hit. “Is that better?”

She moved off her chest and pouted. “One more,” she said, pointing at her cheek. Beca delivered her healing kiss.

The moment the action was completed, the redhead melted back into Beca’s hold.

Risk. She couldn’t afford to lose their closeness. Chloe didn’t strike her as a homophobic person. Beca could tell her that she loved her and they would remain friends. The fear was that the friendship after the revelation would be less intimate than before.

Chloe would most likely become more aware of the kisses, hugs and constant touching. That might stop altogether so that she doesn’t send mixed signals to Beca. They might have to stop sharing a bed. She would do those things as a way of looking out for Beca. In an attempt to not hurt her feelings and to not lead her along.

What about trust? Chloe might feel betrayed. To know that Beca was enjoying her touch on a more than platonic level.

No. She couldn’t tell Chloe. She would have to move on. Keeping her best friend was more important than the slim potential for a romantic partner.

Losing Chloe was unthinkable.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you something, Becs,” Chloe said.

“What is it?”

The redhead seemed to hesitate. “You know what, nevermind. I just forgot it again.”

* * *

Aubrey had been nervous for most of the day, she was fidgeting and it seemed like she had something she wanted to tell Stacie. For her part, the brunette didn’t push her friend and waited until she was ready to get out whatever she needed to.

“I wanted to thank you,” Aubrey said.

Stacie turned her attention from the tap. She had come into the restroom to splash some water on her face and the blonde had accompanied her with a flashlight. “For what?”

“For helping me to see that my dad was wrong.”

“How did I help with that?” the brunette asked.

“As long as I can remember, he drilled into my head the idea that life wasn’t worth living if you weren’t successful at something. He wanted me to leave a mark on the world to prove that in the small spec of time I existed, I made some sort of material impact. It’s becoming clear to me that he was incredibly misguided.”

Aubrey went to the hand towel dispenser and took out a few sheets. She handed a few to Stacie and used the others to help reach some spots the other girl might not be able to see in the dark.

The blonde continued. “Thinking that my father’s philosophy was correct, I managed to be at the top of my class during school and even through to college. It was the reason I fought so hard for better positions and more opportunities at work. I also managed to get my father’s approval throughout and I felt good, for the most part.”

She was looking at Stacie with a bright smile that the brunette could just about make out in the darkness. She was still confused as to how she factored into this story. “So what changed?” she asked.

“You did. Spending time with you has been more fulfilling than my success. I don’t know what it is but making you happy feels wonderful. I can forget about my current standing in the world because it doesn’t matter to you. Whenever we’re together, I don’t worry about things. It’s simple. You’ve managed to change my world view without uttering a single word on the subject. You managed to supplant my father’s vision for me by just being yourself.”

Aubrey suddenly pulled her into a hug, holding tightly. She turned the flashlight off. Stacie slipped her arm around the other girl’s waist. It took a moment to realize that there was a slight dampness against her chest.

The blonde was crying.

Stacie laid a kiss on her cheek. She wasn’t really sure what to say, still attempting to take in all of Aubrey’s words while rubbing comforting circles on her back.

“Do you know what the strangest part is?” Aubrey asked. Her voice cracking just at the edges.

“What?”

“I haven’t lost my drive. I’m still fighting for better positions and opportunities. I haven’t faltered because of our friendship. You’re kinda like my support structure, helping me to do more than I would have been able to on my own. With my father, I always felt alone in my attempts to be recognized. I thought it would make my success more worthwhile, to know that I did it by myself. That wasn’t the case. With you, I have someone to share my accomplishments with.”

Stacie took Aubrey’s face into her hands and began tracing her soft skin looking for tears in the dark. Whenever she found one, she would kiss the spot.

“I’m not weak because I need help. It just means that I’m at my limit and I need support and you’ve provided that for me, Stace. What’s the point of leaving a mark on the world? I’m only going to be alive for a short time and I’d much rather share it with you than pursue some high status that I won’t be able to appreciate once I’m dead. Something that my loved ones wouldn’t actually care about because they care about the person, not what they actually achieved.”

“I don’t want to die in a world where I have no loved ones to miss me when I’m gone.”

“I’m glad you exist, Stacie.”

Stacie found it hard to quell the fluttering in her chest. She was proud of her girl. When they had met, she would have never guessed that Aubrey was capable of being so vulnerable. It was commendable. The brunette considered herself lucky that she was able to create an environment where Aubrey could feel like she could say things like this.

Chloe was right. Love was stupid.

There are four fundamental forces in the universe. The gravitational force is the one most people are familiar with and is considered the weakest of the four but has the longest range. The next strongest force was known as the weak force, responsible for decay processes involving fundamental particles. The electromagnetic force is the second strongest force and exists between all particles that have an electric charge. The strongest force is known, appropriately, as the strong force. It is what allows the nucleus of an atom, made of mostly protons and neutrons, to be able to hold together without flying apart due to the electromagnetic force.

Stacie had learned all of this as part of her physics course.

She was younger and more naive at the time but she considered love to be the fifth and strongest force of the universe. Mostly because she was a big cheeseball. The idea faltered as time went on and became a relic of her youth.

Now, with Aubrey, she was actually considering the idea again and she was surprised to not throw it out of her mind as stupidity.

_Love is the strongest force in the universe! How cheesy can I be?_

She could feel the blonde’s chest rise and fall against her and it was comforting to have her so close.

_Perhaps it isn’t as stupid as I thought it was._

“Is this why you’ve been nervous all day?” she asked.

Aubrey nodded. “I had most of it memorized but I forgot it as I started speaking so I’m sorry if I rambled.”

“No, you were fantastic. However, you did miss something out.” The other girl looked up from the embrace, her eyes were still wet.

“The reason I like you. Your drive and determination aren’t something your father or I instilled into you. They come from you. I know you don’t seem to believe it but you have a good heart, Bree. You’re not the angry robot you secretly think you are.” She kissed her forehead. “Robots don’t cry into their best friend’s shoulder.”

Stacie took Aubrey’s hand and began to lead her back to their cubicle. “We should go home, work can wait for now.”

Collecting their belongings, Stacie stole glances at her friend knowing that she wouldn’t be easily discovered. She was going to tell Aubrey soon. Their conversation had reinforced her love for the blonde. Even if things didn’t work out, Aubrey wouldn’t leave her. Her words had indicated that they both needed each other.

She just wanted to be with her.

* * *

**Saturday - October 8th**

Beca played around with the ocarina that had been in her possession for a while now. She was becoming quite competent with it. She had woken up this morning and ran straight to her work desk.

Love songs. Her previous attempts to broach the subject had been met with a lack of inspiration.

That was no longer the case.

She spun around in her chair so she was facing her bedroom. It painted a picture of how she had been living for the past few months. There was a messy quality to the place but it wasn’t due to lack of organisational skills. It looked more like a storage location than a bedroom. Oddly, there was actually stuff missing that had been taken to Chloe’s apartment and then left there.

The close inspection made the place feel unfamiliar.

She had yet to construct a song using the ocarina but it felt fitting for a song about Chloe. Lyrics would come second, the tone of the piece would need to be achieved first. She opened her laptop and started messing with sound samples and MIDI files to determine the instruments she would use. There was a MIDI file for the ocarina but she would perform and record that herself.

Lyrically, she wasn’t sure what exactly to cover with her song. Chloe had the advantage of being able to cover their friendship over the course of a novel. While Beca was capable of writing a thirty-minute epic, it wouldn’t really be in the spirit of what she wanted to do. Specifically talking about events and objects in the song would work for a more lighthearted song. She had written songs like that before so it wouldn’t be much of a challenge.

Writing a song to purely showcase her love for Chloe and by extension her emotions, would be a more difficult and worthwhile task.

Tapping at the screen on her phone, she called the redhead.

“Hey, Beca.” Came Chloe’s voice.

“Hey.”

There were several moments of silence. Beca continued to work on the song.

“Is there any reason you’re calling?”

“Nope. Just wanted to hear your voice.”

“Is something wrong?” Chloe sounded concerned.

“No, not a thing. I’ll be over later tonight.”

“Okay.”

The brief bites of Chloe’s voice were all she needed to find the right instruments. The ocarina was actually perfect for Chloe. It was a light instrument. The tones coming from it were cheery and positive.

As the song started to take shape, she began humming and whistling tunes she wanted to incorporate into it. Memories of Chloe replayed in her head, distracting her. Each one could justifiably be a song in and of itself.

The song would not be complete for a long time but for once, Beca wasn’t short on inspiration.


	13. Chapter 13

**Friday - October 28th**

With the crunch period now complete. The HR department had organised a small party for the department. Chloe had to beg Beca to attend the event with her. To be fair, the whole thing didn’t sound particularly exciting. Office parties never did.

Still, she didn’t want to go alone, not that they needed to bring a date. Chloe wasn’t asking Beca to be her date. No, it was a little more pathetic than that. She wanted to pretend that Beca was her date.

The brunette was dressed in dark blue jeans and a rich green flannel shirt. It indicated just how much she cared about the event, basically coming dressed like she was still at home. Short of being barefoot, this was Beca in comfort mode.

Chloe, on the other hand, had dressed a little more formally. Opting for a white dress with black bands that extended down the sides. She felt especially confident in it, for whatever reason.

Well...

_She twirled around in the mirror, eying her figure and looking at the way the dress hugged her body. They were set to leave for the party in a few minutes. Despite the low stakes of the evening, Chloe wanted to look good._

_Beca, who had been waiting in the living room and had put on socks when she had been asked to ‘dress up’ for the evening walked into the room. She collected her phone, slipping it into her pocket._

_“Chlo, hurry up. You could turn up in a Christmas sweater and blow away anyone there. Stop worrying.”_

_“I’m just not sure about this dress.”_

_The redhead could hear the audible sigh. “Chloe. You look beautiful. You always do.”_

_Beca looked directly at her when she said it, her gaze not faltering. She walked out of the room almost immediately afterwards._

So perhaps there was a big reason for the confidence.

She didn’t mind being late. Currently, she was pressed against Beca’s side and holding her hand as they walked into the office. A few eyes turned to them and she could almost see them assuming things about the two of them.

Beca either didn’t notice or didn’t care.

The brunette had described what she expected the party to be when Chloe was attempting to convince her to come along. Looking around the room now, that description was depressingly accurate, to the point where she suspected Beca might have set this up somehow.

It was dreary. There were about six or seven people who were happy to dance to the surprisingly quiet and tame music. Everyone else was huddled in groups chatting amongst the people they know. No one was really smiling. There were a lot of people packed in the place though.

The two of them walked over to the pitiful excuse for a snack table. Chloe had been prepared to dance but unless she was particularly drunk, that wasn’t going to happen.

“Oh look, the party held in our boring place of work is sad. I never would have guessed. Nothing screams fun like dancing near some cubicles,” Beca said. At least the night would be good for the brunette’s ever entertaining drip of sarcasm.

“This is actually perfect," Chloe said.

“Is it really?”

“Yes. In a minute, you and I are going to go out onto the dance floor and do some crazy dance moves. Initially, it’ll be awkward but they’ll see how much fun we’re having and want to join in. Even the people who don’t want to dance will come because we are oozing so much fun.”

Beca smiled. “Oh, like in that one movie.”

“Yep, the one with the dancing. That’s how things work out.”

“Will there be any hilarious mishaps or misunderstandings?”

“Absolutely. You’ll probably end up taking a drug by mistake and going off on a crazy adventure. I’ll embarrass myself in front of the hot guy I’ve been pining for at work but it’ll all work out in the end,” Chloe said.

Beca picked up something on the snack table, took a closer look at it, made a displeased face and then put it in the bin. Perfect.

“So am I Harold or Kumar?” she asked.

“I’m not sure that’s a comparison that works. But for the record, you’re Harold.”

Their conversation was halted by the arrival of Aubrey and Stacie. It only took a brief moment for big grins to appear on both Chloe and Beca’s faces. The blonde was wearing a black pantsuit. Her hair was in held in a bun and she had opted for dark eyeliner. The whole package created a striking but beautiful image. Stacie was in a backless navy blue dress that shone due to gloss and the overbearing volume of the fluorescent lights.

Both looked expensive.

Beca was the first one to begin the teasing.

“You guys have much trouble with the paparazzi on the red carpet?” she asked.

Aubrey looked almost shaken. “We might be a little overdressed for the occasion.”

Stacie was smiling and seemed to be rolling with it. “You two look lovely,” Chloe said.

“Thanks,” the taller brunette replied.

The newly formed group moved towards the drinks. An assortment of cheap wine and weak beer all served in small white plastic cups. If the management feared that there wouldn’t be enough to go around, they didn’t need to worry as very few people were drinking. They were all holding drinks but the few who were taking drinks immediately made sour faces once the liquid entered their mouths.

Chloe and Stacie decided that now would be the time to do a science experiment. The latter was quick to point out that she had done chemistry in high school and this didn’t constitute as an experiment. They began mixing the beer and the wine. The mixture didn’t explode so they concluded that it was safe to drink. Aubrey watched disapprovingly although the hints of curiosity in her eyes were there. They would force her to drink it so she wouldn’t have to admit that she wanted to try it as well.

Meanwhile, Beca had been roped into talking with a tall dark haired man around their age. Chloe was eavesdropping and had garnered that his name was Jesse. He worked on a different floor to them.

He could be considered handsome if you were into the boyish look.

“Like the look you’ve got going there, super casual,” he said to Beca.

“It works,” she replied.

“So... What are you into?”

“Smooth.”

“Hey, I’m trying here. Seriously though?”

“I’m into hobbies.”

“Such as?” He asked again.

“Activities.”

He sighed.

Beca started the conversation confrontationally. But as Chloe listened, she heard her laugh a few times and from the look on Jesse’s face, it seemed to be going well. The redhead stood next to her other two friends who were busy engaged in a heated discussion about the quality of their newly mixed drink.

Chloe wasn't particularly happy with the way this interaction between Jesse and Beca was going. It looked to be leading somewhere specific. She was all too familiar with the way he was acting having been on the receiving end of such conversations. Technically, there was nothing to really dislike about Jesse. He seemed like a nice guy and the chatter around the office confirmed it.

Still, there was something Chloe didn’t like about him. It probably had everything to do with the way he was looking at her Beca.

“Do you want to get outta here?” Jesse asked.

And there was the line. He had been charming and now they were going to slip away. The painful feeling in Chloe’s chest was perhaps even worse than finding out about Ethan. She now had to watch Beca be taken away by someone else.

Her mind entered an oddly dark place. Images of Beca and Jesse walking out of the room, as they are just out of view, they hold hands. Now they’re at the door to Beca’s apartment. He makes a joke, she smiles. He goes to leave, she invites him up for a drink. They exchange a knowing smile. Inside the apartment, they’re sharing that drink. She’s happy. She’s happy with him. She decides to show him the bedroom. He kisses her. An uncontrolled moan escapes from her mouth. She starts taking off his shirt and marvels at his perfect torso. She’s almost visibly aroused. He pushes her against the bed.

He is what Beca wants.

Chloe wanted it to stop. It felt like she had no control of her mind as it spun further and further into this morbid sequence of events. She started to clench her fists and the pain in her chest only became worse.

It took a moment to realize something though.

Beca hadn’t answered yet.

“I’m here with a friend and I should get back to her,” she said.

“She’ll understand.”

“Actually, she’s pretty needy.”

Chloe was hurt.

For a moment.

Beca turned around and her eyes widened and she smiled incredibly unnaturally.

Save me!

She was basically begging.

Chloe had to force the smile back down inside her and rescue her girl.

“Becaaaa,” she whined. “I’m bored.” Stumbling the few steps to the brunette, she grabbed hold of her arm like she was a few drinks in. It should be good enough. Perhaps a sloppy, possessive kiss on the cheek? No, that might be too far.

“Yeah sorry, dude,” Beca said. Jesse looked disappointed and a sliver of darkness still lingering in Chloe took pleasure in it. She would remember to be disgusted with herself later.

He didn’t seem too upset. His eyes flickered towards their blonde companion. Glancing to her side, Chloe came upon Stacie’s worried expression. She had unknowingly thrown Jesse at her friend.

“I’m gonna go talk with Aubrey,” he said.

Beca concurred. "Sounds like a good idea. I think she might have been asking about you."

As he turned towards the blonde who was a few steps away talking with Luke, Chloe stumbled into him. “Hey, hot stuff.” She slurred her words a little, putting her hands on his chest. She then took an abrupt step back and scrunched up her eyes and frowned.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

Jesse probably had the impression that she was needy. Not that she really cared how he saw her. Since she had already taken a hit to her character, she might as well take another and be less than pleasant.

“Your breath stinks.”

He looked startled by her words and turned to look at Beca and the onlooking Stacie. “Well...” Chloe stood where she was, continuing to seem as disgusted as possible. “I guess I’ll see you around, Beca.”

With that, he walked away. Chloe could see Stacie visibly relax, letting out a breath she was holding. She walked towards the blonde.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Beca said.

“What do you mean?”

The brunette smiled. “It was nice of you to help Stacie out but you’re not giving Aubrey enough credit.” She took a sip of her drink. “We’ve seen the way those two look at each other. Do you really think Aubrey’s going to suddenly jump on someone else? In a sense, you’re not giving Stacie enough credit either. Anyone going after Aubrey has a high bar to overcome if they even want a chance.”

Chloe pouted. “So I try to help and now I’m being made to feel guilty.”

“Thanks for saving me though, at least you looked like the jerk instead of me for once. Also, you’re acting was brilliant.”

“You’re welcome.”

“You still ruined my opportunity to annoy Aubrey.”

The smaller girl received a smack on the arm.

As the night went on, the atmosphere of the party improved. More people began dancing having managed to down their drinks. Chloe was actually happy to just sit down with Beca and comment on the dancing rather than join in. When Vanilla Ice’s ‘Ice Ice Baby’ came on, the pair was unable to determine if the party had truly just started or if it was the final death knell. Regardless, they bid Aubrey and Stacie goodbye and headed home.

Beca grabbed ahold of Chloe’s hand as they stepped out, guiding her through the streets.

* * *

She no longer liked spending time alone. It allowed her mind to wander and recently, it was going to grimmer places. Specifically the relationship she had with the redhead. Her heart desired something she could never have. What’s worse was that spending time with Chloe was become difficult as well.

Isolation allowed her to dwell on a falsehood. Togetherness allowed her to live it.

Over the past few weeks, her attempts at keeping her love for the redhead at bay have not been going well. The only difference recently is how much more aware of it she was. It’s a combination of things really. Sometimes she would subconsciously do something that she wouldn’t normally do, just brought on by Chloe. Other times, a simple interaction between the two of them would cause vibrant ripples to go through her, only reinforcing just how much in love she was.

It all made it harder to deal with.

Recently there has been another problem.

She didn’t like being in love.

The fact that the two of them could never be together caused her heartache. It was never overt but whenever she was in Chloe’s company, she was reminded that the possibility of the redhead reciprocating her feelings was slim. The agony of that truth was sometimes overwhelming and constantly in her head.

It wasn’t what Chloe wanted out of their friendship in the first place. If something had changed, she would have said something about it by now. She wasn’t someone who would be hesitant with this sort of thing.

A confession on Beca's part wouldn’t work either. It would only cause more pain, not just for her, but for Chloe as well.

Fear. Future. Even if Chloe didn’t reject her, there was a chance that they wouldn’t work out. Then she would be left with nothing.

Fear. Hopeless. Chloe would realize that Beca truly is incapable of maintaining a relationship. If she couldn’t keep it going with Chloe, then she would have no hope with anyone else. To be told by the one person who had so much faith in you that perhaps it was misplaced would be impossible to take.

Fear. Inadequacy. It was always her problem. She was distant and cold. She was more open with Chloe but what if that wasn’t enough at some point. It hadn’t been enough for anyone else.

It was becoming harder to keep her emotions in check and sometimes it just hurt being with Chloe. Why couldn’t she be happy with what she had? This relationship was close to perfect. No, it was perfect.

As the two of them headed home from the party, she pulled out her phone. “I’ve gotta go back to my apartment,” she said, pretending to receive a message.

“Right now?” Chloe asked.

“Yeah, it’s urgent.”

Time apart would help. If she could not be a good friend in her current state and continued to act like she was okay, then it would disingenuous to herself and to Chloe. She just hoped that Chloe would accept her when she returned. Hopefully less in love.

“I was hoping to cuddle tonight, I guess it’ll have to wait,” the taller girl said. She walked up to Beca and pulled her in for a hug. Her nose nuzzled against her shoulder and the brunette could feel the sharp intake of breath. “Why do you always smell so good?”

There was also the possibility that she may never return. If she wanted to do this, she would have to accept that. Memories may be all she ends up with in the end. At least she could take comfort in knowing that Chloe had helped her prepare for the future. She had been given hope and a little confidence to make relationships work.

“Aubrey and Stacie were so adorable tonight. Those two are going to be really happy together. I think I saw Stacie feeding Bree some pudding, they were in their own little world," Chloe said.

She wanted to show her gratitude for just how much Chloe had given her. The redhead had given her a home, affection, friendship, comfort and safety. There was never anything she asked for in return. She was a true friend and Beca knew that she only got to see a hint of this wonderful person.

“What do you want to do tomorrow?" The redhead asked. "I got us more ingredients so we could make another cake. I found a recipe for a banana and chocolate one."

But she couldn’t say goodbye. Not explicitly. Chloe wouldn’t allow her to. Beca had feared that the moment she made a mistake, the other girl would run away. She never imagined that it would be her who would do the running.

“Do you want to go to the park tomorrow? Maybe it’ll rain again. I could make some tea and we could have a chilly picnic if you wanted. Or we could just sit in bed. I’ll work on my book and you can work on your music.”

She trailed her fingers on the redhead’s neck and placed a kiss on her cheek. She lingered for a moment before putting her hands into the pockets of her jacket. Her chest felt like it was expanding and suffocating her, tears appearing at the edges of her eyes.

“I had a lot of fun with you, Becs. For someone who didn’t want to go, you were the life of the party for me.”

Tonight was the final night. She had been planning this for a while and she wanted it to end on a somewhat positive note. A moment wasn’t lost on something that wasn’t Chloe this night. She had stuck by her side and indulged in every single second together. It still wasn’t enough and as she walked further and further away from her muse, she wanted to turn around and run into her arms.

Regardless of how all of this would turn out. Chloe would always be an important part of her life. In their short time together, Beca had become more hopeful, more affectionate and more sure of herself. Her identity hadn’t changed, she was just better at showing it and Chloe was able to see her positives and help her with the negatives.

Chloe saw the good in her. Hopefully she would understand Beca’s actions.

“Goodnight, Beca.”

* * *

**Saturday - 29th October**

“Aubrey, please take a seat on the couch,” Stacie instructed. She was stood in front of the couch, next to the television. This was finally happening. After much forethought and planning, she figured that she was ready.

The blonde looked at her oddly but complied.

“This is going to take a while.”

“Okay,” Aubrey said.

Stacie took a deep breath. “In my final year of high school, I was assigned a project by my biology teacher. All the students received different projects to avoid plagiarism. Mine was a research and observation project. Basically, I had to aggregate and present research on my given topic and then try and replicate the conclusions of the research in the real world.”

The blonde looked understandably confused but seemed to be listening intently. Stacie continued.

“My topic was love. Specifically the physical component. It is much harder to observe the emotional side of love. It can be controlled too easily. However, our bodies will perform functions without our consent based on the current circumstances regardless of our culture. My job was to look at the research on these physical signs of love and see if I could replicate the results in real life.”

“Love is not easy to replicate and even harder to test. Its effects are different depending on the person. As you can imagine, the volunteer couples I got for observation weren’t very helpful. Most weren’t truly in love. Some were only roped into it by their significant other and I had to either lie to them or break the news gently, depending on how much I liked them.”

“It wasn’t a complete failure though, I was able to observe some similarities between the research and my volunteers.”

Her nerves began to get to her. So far everything had been backstory.

“I haven’t thought about that stuff in a long time but my memory of it remained,” she said, taking another breath. “A few months ago, I began to notice something peculiar about my behaviour.”

She took a seat next to the blonde. “It was behaviour akin to what I observed in those successful volunteers.”

“Firstly, it was sweaty palms. A common occurrence when a person is nervous. On that first day, when I went to shake your hand, I was embarrassed by how warm and sweaty my palms were. It had never been a problem before.”

She placed her hand on top of Aubrey’s.

“Secondly, the increased heart rate whenever I was with you.” She moved Aubrey’s hand and placed it against her chest just above her heart. “See, even now it’s beating so fast.”

“Remember that I told you that I was the observer.” She again moved her hand, this time over Aubrey’s heart. “Your heart is beating fast as well. It could just be that you’re nervous.”

“Sweaty palms and a high heart rate indicate some level of nervousness. It means that the person you’re interacting with is significant in some way.”

She moved her hands slowly to rest on Aubrey’s shoulders.

“Your pupils have dilated. It’s an indication of attraction. If you don’t know what I mean, look at my eyes.” Aubrey looked. “They should be doing the same thing.”

Another deep breath. “Sorry, I’m super nervous right now. Which actually brings me to my next point. I had to practice this speech because it’s hard to think clearly with you near me sometimes. My mind doesn’t want to focus, it just wants to enjoy the moment, your warm body against me, your intoxicating scent. It’s sometimes a little much. That and I can’t stop looking down at your lips which makes me lose my train of thought.”

The blonde was still looking at her, she hadn’t moved away, her focus solely on Stacie.

“The physical side was easy to understand. I could observe it the same way I did my volunteers. The emotional part, I was unprepared for. I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. It’s hard to observe or to test because when it’s happening to you, you don’t want to think about anything else.”

"You make me stronger. You took the time to look at who I am rather than what I look like. You don't care how others perceive you because that would be a distraction. You don't need others to tell you that you're a good person. I like doing it though. Because I like your smile which you seem to reserve for me. Spending time with you is always wonderful."

"You never take me for granted and you treat me with a level of respect I don't normally get. You make me feel needed."

“I hope I’m right about this.”

Stacie captured Aubrey’s lips in a kiss. She chose to be gentle, not wanting to force her friend. Her nerves weren’t allowing her to have the passionate kiss she wanted, this contact was a little more pleading, almost desperate. A risk she was taking.

She broke contact moments later. “Bree, I love you.”

Now the response, she gave the blonde some time to process the information. Besides, she needed time to collect herself. Her lips were tingling and she was almost sure she was going to wake up from a dream.

“Please say something,” she begged.

She could feel Aubrey’s arms slip around her, pulling her a little closer. In a flash, lips were on her again. A moan came out almost immediately before being muffled into the kiss. This one wasn’t pleading, it was still soft but there was an almost comfortable nature to it. A second moan allowed Aubrey entry into her mouth which she entered rather hesitantly. Even given the current circumstances, she was oddly respectful and restrained but the way her hands gently pressed against Stacie’s back and the gentle nature of the kiss told the brunette that these actions were purely driven by emotion and instinct.

They broke apart after the need for air overcame them.

“I love you too, Stace.” They were the first words Aubrey had spoken since she had begun her speech and combined with the bright smile sent a wave of joy and relief through the brunette.

She pressed her forehead against the other girl, unsure of how to continue. The plan had been her focus for so long that she never had time to think about afterwards. Aubrey didn’t seem to mind, her lips still curved into a smile and her fingers trailing the small of the brunette’s back.

The blonde snuck another kiss, this time much shorter.

“Do you want to help me make hot chocolate?” Aubrey asked.

“Sure.”

“And then we could snuggle on the couch and watch a movie?”

Stacie nodded, now strangely shy. Aubrey was beaming. She got up and took the brunette’s hand, leading her to the kitchen.

She pushed Stacie against the countertop and lifted her legs so she was sat on top.

“You wait here,” she said.

With that, she began making the hot chocolate, occasionally glancing at her with an angelic smile. Stacie just watched.

After a few minutes, Aubrey took a spoon full of the hot chocolate and gently blew on it. She then offered it to the other girl.

“How is it?” she asked.

“It’s good.”

She leaned in once again and gave her another kiss. The chocolatey flavor combined with the Aubrey’s wonderful lips was slightly mind numbing.

And when Stacie pulled away and looked into those hopeful blue eyes, a few words came to the brunette. No more research, no more observation. She was one of the volunteers.

“Aubrey, I’m glad you exist.”

* * *

**Tuesday - 1st November**

“You wish to return to the financial department?” asked the interviewer. His name was Don. African American, slightly overweight wearing a heavy grey suit and thick-rimmed glasses.

Beca nodded.

“May I ask why, Miss Mitchell?”

“I’m not comfortable at my job.”

Don was looking down at her application. “According to this, you’ve been one of the best new employees at your department. Your head of department has glowing things to say about you.”

“Success at my job is not the same thing as job satisfaction.”

“Can I ask as to what caused the discomfort?”

“I’m not good at working with others.”

He looked down again. “Is it due to your partner, Chloe Beale?”

“No, she was actually incredibly accommodating.”

Cutting people out. Beca was good at that. She had cut out her father when he left, she had cut out her mother. It was all to avoid the pain caused by their loss. She still loved her mother and she still hated her father but she didn’t want to dwell on them. It didn’t make her any happier.

She could cut Chloe out too.

“Well, everything seems to be in order, Miss Mitchell. You will begin on Thursday.”

This would help. With enough distance between the two of them, her feelings for the redhead would fade. She would have a clean slate to start over when she returned to Chloe and would be able to keep her emotions controlled from the start.

She might even have a significant other by then.

Perhaps Chloe will have found someone by then.


	14. Chapter 14

**Thursday - November 3rd**

It was ten o’clock. It wasn’t like Beca to be late. Chloe picked up her phone and called her friend, still listed as 'Honey'.

Annoyingly, there was no response.

She swivelled in her chair to look around the office. Everything else seemed to be in order. Everyone was working with their partners. The company email didn’t hint at to the whereabouts of Beca either.

Being an hour late, she had expected Luke to have come over at some point to question her. Getting up from her chair, she made her way over to Luke’s office. Perhaps he knew what was going on.

Three knocks on the wooden door. Uninterested in waiting for an answer, she burst into the room. Luke looked up from his computer.

“How can I help you, Chloe?” He asked.

“Do you know where Beca is?”

He raised his eyebrows and leaned back. “I’m surprised she didn’t tell you. She moved back to the sales department. Something about not being comfortable working with others. She had great things to say about you though.”

Chloe hadn’t really seen much of Beca outside of work since the party. The brunette was occupied through the weekend and she hadn’t visited Chloe since then. Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t even received a call or a text from the girl. The redhead had dismissed the absence as her neediness manifesting and had chosen not to bother the other girl.

_Why would she suddenly leave her job without telling me? Even if she was particularly unhappy with it, she would have said something before quitting._

I can’t really put this down to it slipping her mind.

“Her replacement and your new partner will start tomorrow.” The sound of Luke’s voice bringing her back.

She nodded and exited the room, thoroughly confused.

* * *

Having received no replies to the countless texts and calls sent Beca’s way, Chloe went directly to the musician's apartment once work was finished. The day had been filled with confusion and anger, her work suffering due to it.

She walked with a quick pace, not letting the panic that had been building to get to her. The reaction to the news that Beca had suddenly quit her job had been far too calm for the redhead and it had only hit her when she sat back down in her cubicle just how significant that news was.

Arriving at the front door to the apartment, she knocked.

No immediate response could be heard so Chloe decided to wait.

Recalling the night of the party, she couldn’t remember anything odd happening. Well, apart from Beca leaving suddenly. The two of them had spent the vast majority of their time together that night and she hadn’t seemed different. Perhaps something happened over the weekend to cause this sudden disappearance. There was one thing hanging in the air that Chloe didn’t really want to acknowledge.

Beca’s disappearance was related to her.

It had to be. If it was something work related, Beca would have told her. In fact, if it was related to anything else, she would have told her. Furthermore, she had quit her job to go back to where she been working previously. Again, without giving any warning. She had not communicated with Chloe since the night of the party outside of work but had been fine discussing things with Luke.

Thinking about it now, Beca had been distant during work as well. Chloe hadn’t thought much of it, putting it down to the brunette being bored.

Panic began to set in. What had she done that had caused Beca to pull away?

Sadly, even an hour of waiting brought no answer to the door and no answers to her question.

She attempted to call again.

Met with no response once again.

More contemplation would be needed. Panic began to overwhelm her as the reality of the situation hit.

* * *

**Friday - November 4th**

Chloe paced back and forth in front of their table at the cafe. It was late into the evening and the cold conditions combined with the gloomy atmosphere outside meant that the place was mostly empty.

It was their weekly meetup for tea and Stacie was very worried about the redhead. The pair had already ordered drinks and Chloe seemed like she had some significant things to discuss.

She stopped in front of the table and sat down.

“Congratulations again on finally confessing to Bree, you seem really happy,” Chloe said.

Stacie forced a smile. It was true that she was over the moon regarding her relationship with Aubrey. However, her focus was currently on the sad redhead in front of her and the overwhelming need to help her.

“I am, although I can’t help but feel that gossiping about me and Bree wasn’t what you came here for. We already did that remember?"

Chloe looked down at her cup. “No, I wanted to talk to you in person about this,” she said. “Beca’s gone.” The words sounded difficult to get out.

“What do you mean?”

“She’s gone. I found out yesterday that she quit her job. We haven’t talked properly since the party and she’s not returning my calls or texts.”

Clearly this was causing Chloe distress so Stacie dismissed this as the redhead overreacting. “Did something happen to her at the party?"

Chloe shook her head. “I don’t think so. Besides, I think I know why she’s gone.”

The brunette wasn’t looking forward to the explanation given the tone of the redhead’s voice. Still, she motioned for the other girl to continue.

“She finally figured me out, Stace. She finally figured out I’m in love with her. I sorta knew I was pushing it with every little boundary we crossed and I assumed that Beca would stay oblivious forever.”

Chloe sighed. "I was her closest friend, someone she trusted, and I took advantage of her. Friends don't share a bed every single night, friends don't kiss each other constantly, or hold hands, or leave goddamn love bites,” she shouted. “She must be disgusted with me."

Stacie reached across the table and took the other girl's hand, giving it a squeeze.

"I'm not going to let you deteriorate like this. You don't actually know why she ran so don't go to worst scenario," she said.

"Can you tell me why she won't talk to me? Why she didn't tell me she was quitting her job?" Chloe's words came through gritted teeth, her eyes a little more damp than usual.

"Chlo, Beca isn't the kind of person to be disgusted by your love of her,” the brunette reassured. “That being said, I don’t have any answers to your questions. You know her better than I do and I think you know that she would never do anything to hurt you.”

“But what if I hurt her?”

It’s easy when things go wrong to view loving actions as a negative. She needed to reassure the redhead. “You didn’t,” she said defiantly.

“And you’re sure how?”

“Because you should see the way she looks at you.” Stacie might only be an onlooker to their relationship but even she could see how much Beca cared about Chloe. There was a vigor to the two of them when they were together that was unmatched. “There’s an explanation for what’s going on and while it might not make sense to you, one thing that is certain is that you didn’t hurt her. At least not with affection. If there is one person Beca cares about, it’s you. Something is happening to her and she thinks that the best solution to that problem is to distance herself from you. We both know that’s wrong.”

She moved to the other side of the booth and sat next to Chloe before wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer. The other girl’s eyes were still threatening to rain but she buried her head into the brunette’s shoulder. “Your job is to get angry and remind her that she can’t just run from you. Both of you have forgotten how much you mean to each other but Beca’s alone right now and you need to get through to her.”

A muffled sob came from her shoulder. Chloe remained silent for a few minutes.

"Thanks, Stace.”

Stacie smiled. “No problem. Make sure you punish her once this is all over. She’s not allowed to think that this is acceptable behaviour.”

“I will.”

“No, you won’t.”

She was happy to be here, providing comfort for her suffering friend. Somewhere along the line, they had grown close and while it was initially a surprise when their conversations shifted from casual to meaningful, it had been a welcome change.

Friendship meant being there for someone even when they aren't at their best. The way that was phrased made it sound like a burden but right now, as she felt her shirt become a little wetter from the tears, she couldn't really say it was a burden.

* * *

**Monday - November 7th**

Aubrey was happy with where things were. At least regarding her relationship. The first few days had been strange. Despite the two of them being friends for so long, the sudden shift into a romantic relationship made them delightfully awkward. It took a while to get used to the pet names, the blonde understanding the intention behind them but still finding the sound of them directed at her bewildering. She revelled in it all though, all the while trying to remember that it was real.

Recent events had dampened their mood and with good reason.

“I’m worried about those two,” Stacie said. They were watching a movie on the couch together. Tucked under a blanket with cups of cocoa cooling on the coffee table. The glow of the television was the only thing lighting the room. The open curtains resulted in a comfortably cozy atmosphere.

“Me too.”

Stacie didn’t appear to be paying any real attention to the movie and Aubrey had to admit that she wasn’t particularly interested either.

“Should we do something?” The brunette asked.

Aubrey had already thought about this at length once she had been informed of the situation. “We’ve already tried contacting Beca and Chloe’s gone to her apartment. She doesn’t want to be found right now. Besides, I don’t think we need to do anything. Not yet at least.”

Stacie seemed unconvinced. The blonde decided to elaborate. “Let me put it this way, if I were to bet a thousand dollars on Beca coming back, would you bet against me?”

“No.”

“That must mean you still believe that she is going to come back. She’s looking for answers right now and eventually, she will realize that running away from Chloe isn’t the solution. It’s easy for us to see on the outside but it’s different when you’re experiencing it yourself.”

Stacie sighed. “I guess we’re going to have to support Chloe as best we can.”

“I have faith in Beca.”

She pulled away from the blonde and looked at her strangely. "You sound oddly confident in that statement."

Aubrey smiled. “I’m not going to elaborate but we have some similarities and if she thinks anything like me, she’ll eventually figure it out.”

Stacie’s grip tightened suddenly, it looked as though it was an involuntary action. “You never thought about running away, did you?” The other girl responded by wrapping her arms around her and pulling her closer.

“Yes.” Before the brunette could respond, Aubrey silenced her with a kiss. “Thanks for saving me.”

A crimson blush crept onto Stacie’s face. This was now a common occurrence. The girl was far more shy and flustered around the blonde. Her flirtatious attitude and general confidence regarding intimacy were thrown out the window. Aubrey found the new development to be adorable.

There was inkling in the back of her mind though. “I’m not doing something wrong, am I, Stace?”

Stacie shook her head immediately. “No, of course not.”

“Then why are you so nervous? I didn’t expect it from you. Not that I mind, I just want to make sure you’re comfortable.”

“That’s because I’m not comfortable,” she replied. Aubrey must have displayed her confusion and panic because she quickly explained. “In a good way.”

“I’m still confused.”

“I can’t stop thinking. About you. And every little detail of our interactions. It’s sensory overload and I’ve never had this problem before. I’ve never been so aware in a relationship before.” She gave the blonde a kiss, this time displaying her regular confidence. “You make me uncomfortable, Bree. I can’t switch my brain off around you. Not that I want to, because I’m savouring every rich detail. So I apologize if I’m not my usual collected self but you have only yourself to blame.”

Aubrey removed the few strands of hair obscuring the brunette’s face. Stacie’s eyes looked vulnerable. Usually, vulnerability was associated with fear which was what made her eyes so magical. Those blue-green pearls weren’t fearful, they were bright, full of hope. Uncertain in a sense.

Aubrey was speechless, distracted by them. She didn’t know how she could articulate a response to that statement.

“I love you too, Stace.” She kissed her again. “I like to pretend that I have a grasp of my purpose in this world but it feels good to admit I have no idea what I’m doing when I’m with you.”

She knew that she would never fully be able to express her thoughts regarding Stacie but she had the rest of her life to try. The English language may not be capable of doing it, having far too many limitations, with not enough words of a grand enough scale to make a coherent thought on the matter.

“They’ll be alright,” she said. “I’m sure of it.”

* * *

**Saturday - 12th November**

Second attempt at Beca’s door. This time, Chloe had spoken to the landlord and found out that the brunette was still living in the apartment. She was even seen leaving yesterday. Attempts at approaching her at work hadn’t gone well. She mysteriously vanished whenever Chloe went to speak to her or ‘could not be reached’ for whatever reason.

Confirmation that Beca was actively avoiding her.

The hallway was empty and the only light was coming from a nearby window. The floor was a grey wood, a similar color to the door. Grey seemed appropriate.

The last few days had been a difficult time. The redhead wasn’t sure if she should allow Beca to have her space and hope for her return or chase after her.

Chasing after her meant that she was desperate and perhaps not looking at things clearly. She needed to remember that she had a life prior to Beca and that she could continue if the other girl didn’t return. People come and go all the time and devolving into an unproductive mess wasn’t something a grown woman should do.

Allowing Beca to have space only brought her anxiety. A series of what-ifs that would have too many paths that led to the smaller girl never talking to her again. It scared Chloe.

_There I go again..._

She had to keep reminding herself that chasing after Beca wasn’t because she was needy, or unable to function. Her work hadn’t faltered due to it and she was still living healthily, for the most part.

The reason she was chasing after Beca was because the brunette was her best friend. She wanted to keep her. Even if her feelings were never reciprocated. Her best friend was suffering and needed support, even if there was little she could do.

Chloe wanted Beca to know that she wasn’t going to be abandoned.

The older girl had needed Stacie and Aubrey to remind her of these things. They had been checking up on her every day. They had their opinions on the matter but never voiced them. She got the feeling that there wasn’t any ill will towards her or Beca. At times, they seemed hopeful.

Beca’s door wasn’t interested in being opened today either. No matter, Chloe had foreseen this and sat down against it.

The other girl had to come by sooner or later.

* * *

Returning home, the sight that greeted Beca was both adorable and alarming. Chloe sat against the door, her chest slowly rising and falling with her phone in her hand. Eyes shut and unaware of the rest of the world.

The smaller girl crouched down next to her and opened the door. With her other arm, she supported Chloe as the door opened. She then lifted the girl up, making sure not to wake her and walked over to the couch.

This was perhaps the third time Chloe had ever visited Beca's apartment. Most of their time had been spent at the redhead's place. The result of this was visible in the room. It looked like a regular apartment but it lacked any discernible soul. Unlike Chloe's apartment, which was lively. It looked like a home, for the two of them. This looked like a dwelling that Beca had retreated into.

Chloe began to stir in her arms as she was placed down onto the couch.

The brunette quickly moved to the kitchen to prepare tea. She needed some time to collect herself before this conversation. A sense of dread slowly filling her.

Avoidance of Chloe had been successful so far. She had avoided looking at the countless texts sent her way and had yet to pick up the phone when called. It was harder at work but she managed to convince a co-worker to help her out. She couldn’t go back to Chloe, not yet. If she had read one of those texts or taken one of those calls, there was little chance that she would be able to resist going back.

Her suspicion was all but confirmed today. It had only taken a second of seeing Chloe on the ground to completely disarm her. Approaching her only made matters worse. She was caught off guard by the familiar pleasant smell, the touch of her soft skin.

She couldn’t help taking her in. It would only be for a moment.

Her time apart had allowed her to contemplate on her situation and feelings for Chloe. With the distance, the other girl’s influence was limited. To say she was happy would be wildly incorrect.

However, she was glad to have the time. It explained why she was less hesitant to allow Chloe back in, even if it was only for a short time.

Returning to the couch, she placed the two cups on the coffee table and sat across from Chloe. The redhead had awoken and was looking back at her. Beca was ready for whatever was coming her way, most of it deserved.

“You’re not going to say anything?” Chloe asked.

“I needed time.”

“That’s not how this works.” She had been calm up until now but Beca could see the ripple of anger slowly pass through her. “You’re supposed to come to me with problems.”

“Not this one," Beca said.

“So you decided to run?” Chloe was clearly holding back.

“I had to.”

“And you thought I’d be okay with it?”

“Eventually. I know I had to be.”

She breathed out, attempting to calm herself. The temper in her voice was still evident though. “Beca Mitchell, you are not allowed to walk into my life, become one of the most important people in it and then just disappear. You have to take responsibility for what you’ve inflicted upon me. I’m here right now because of how much you mean to me. So don’t tell me how unimportant you are or why you don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Because everything else doesn’t matter, not in the slightest.”

To be honest, this wasn’t how Beca had expected this to go. Chloe was clearly angry. But she was still somehow positive, albeit in a rough tone. The way she spoke was blurring the line between passionate and angry and Beca wasn’t completely sure if she should feel guilty or motivated.

“I still need more time, Chlo.”

Chloe dropped her head down and sighed at the response. “This friendship we have is a two-way thing. You don’t get to decide when it ends on your own. I’m not going to give up on it anytime soon,” she said. “If you need time, Becs. I’m willing to give it to you. Just know that I haven’t forgotten about you and I’m not going to.”

She stood up and walked to the door, Beca getting up and following her. Before opening it, she turned around to face the brunette. “Don’t forget about me,” she said. Tears were brimming in her eyes and slowly cascading down her cheeks.

Beca couldn’t really handle seeing it but providing comfort right now would almost be insulting to the other girl, having caused the pain in the first place.

“I won’t.” Beca couldn’t cry. Not now. She had no right to.

Chloe twitched forward for a second. Hesitation. She turned around and exited the apartment. The younger girl had to fight the instinct to reach out and grab her.

* * *

**Wednesday - November 16th**

The bar was a darkened area with most of the lights being on the crimson end of the spectrum. A good amount of the space was occupied by a dancefloor but the bar area was near the entrance comprised of a bunch of stools in front of the liquor. The place was relatively crowded but Chloe had no trouble finding a seat.

A quick google search had led her here. That search being the term ‘Lesbian Bar’. She had decided to get over Beca. Doing that required someone else. She wished Stacie was here. The decision to not ask her to come had been deliberate. The brunette was unlikely to help her and would have attempted to talk her out of it.

Chloe didn’t want to dwell on the fact that the reason she hadn’t invited her friends along was because they wouldn’t have wanted her to do this.

She’s been sat at the bar for about four minutes when a beautiful woman moved near her. Looking towards her, she could see that this person was looking at her. Dark brown hair, brown eyes, tall. She was wearing a black leather jacket and jeans. Bright red lipstick that was particularly visible against her pale skin.

“I’m Helena,” she says. “Can I buy you a drink?”

_The correct response here would be yes. Correct?_

_She’s physically attractive and seemingly interested in you. This is the reason you came here. Correct?_

The answer to both those questions was yes, technically. Unfortunately, that didn’t make her want to respond appropriately. She felt uneasy with the whole situation. Disgusted at the prospect of what she was doing.

She wasn’t doing anything wrong. But it felt like betrayal. She was betraying Beca, going behind her back to find other women. Even with the solid fact that Beca was not her girlfriend, the irrational guilty feeling refused to subside.

_Why?_

Because of who the redhead was as a person. For someone so carefree and easy-going, her mind was surprisingly stubborn and it refused to see Beca as an impossibility, still holding onto hope that there was a chance. She wanted to curse herself for being so optimistic even in the current circumstances but those thoughts were snuffed out easily with images of Beca. It was almost like an automatic defense mechanism designed for a situation like this.

She still believed that Beca would reciprocate her feelings. And it made her happy.

Stacie would have been right. It was a mistake to come here. For her to give up before Beca had even returned would be something she would regret for a long time.

“Sorry, I’m taken,” she replied, a smile creeping onto her face.

Helena walked away.

It was at that moment that Chloe realized why she was still holding onto hope with Beca. Prior to meeting her, the redhead hadn’t been particularly concerned with relationships. They weren’t a priority. The reason this excursion hadn’t felt right was becoming clear. If she hadn’t been interested in getting into a relationship prior to Beca, why was she suddenly so interested now?

The answer was simple. She wasn’t.

Beca was someone who had stumbled into her life and Chloe had fallen in love. She wasn’t looking for any relationship. She wanted Beca. If she hadn’t met the younger girl, she wouldn’t have been out looking for other girls.

She liked girls but that hadn't been what was holding her back from looking for a relationship. It just wasn't her main concern at the moment.

Coming to this destination had been made in the interest of starting a new relationship. That wasn’t what she wanted though.

She loved Beca. That’s why she didn’t need to be here.

That’s what Stacie would have told her.

That’s why she still had hope.

* * *

**Saturday - November 19th**

The early morning seemed like an appropriate time for mourning. Not that Beca was here for that. Looking around the cemetery, the few people scattered around the area were mostly there on their own.

Beca liked this cemetery. Despite being associated with death, the lush plant life and open air of the place created a comfortable atmosphere. It was appropriately quiet and cool at all times. The area was surrounded by trees that obscured the nearby road and local flora seemed to be allowed to grow wherever it pleased making the land seemingly natural.

She made her way down the path looking around for the next turn. It had been a while since she had been here. A bouquet of flowers in her hand, it seemed appropriate although she hadn’t been sure of the type of flower to get. The lady in the shop had given her a selection. They were mostly brought for customary reasons.

It only took her a few minutes to find the correct headstone. A grey granite one, still somewhat shiny.

_Claire Mitchell_

_With my toes on the edge, I refuse to go quietly._

_A loving mother and gifted artist._

Beca sat cross-legged in front of the headstone. Her eyes flickered around to see if anyone was watching her. She placed the flowers at the base of the stone.

Claire Mitchell. Beca always liked her mother's last name. When her father had left, she had found her mother’s original name. A couple of years later, she had her own last name changed to her mother’s and insisted that her mother revert back as well. Claire had questioned her on her intentions.

It was simple really. She wanted to be identified as her mother’s daughter.

“Hey, mom” she began.

“I’m surprised as you are that I’m here. Luckily, you can’t talk so you can’t tell me I’m wasting my time by coming up here and dwelling on you.”

That was actually something Claire had insisted on. She would tell Beca that once she died, visiting her grave would be pointless. Her mother’s view of death was surprisingly light-hearted, especially towards the end, never allowing it to get to her.

“I’m here for a reason actually. I promise I’ll leave you alone once we’ve had this talk.”

“So, I met a girl.” She pouted. “Stop grinning, I know it took me a long time to figure it out.”

Fingers ran over the dew covered grass, coating them with a slight dampness. “Anyway, her name’s Chloe. I met her when I started working for the creative department.”

“She’s slightly taller than me. She has beautiful red hair. She’s uhmm. It’s kinda hard to describe her. She’s super positive and hopeful without being naive. I love talking to her because her worldview is so different from mine. Yet I can’t find it in myself to be cynical of her positivity. I feel like it’s infecting me. I’d like to bring her here one day against your wishes. Not that you can complain.”

Hundreds of different aspects of Chloe were currently swimming around in her head and to explain all of them would take far too long.

“You would have gotten along with her actually. The frequency at which she invades my personal space was alarming at the beginning but I couldn’t say it was unwelcome. She’s warm. In every way. She insists on cuddling with me, kissing me and being close and I can’t deny her. I don’t want to.”

“She’s wonderful, mom.”

“And I’m in love.”

Her mother had gone through a divorce. She never found anyone after her husband left. Yet she always believed in love. Beca was a little more cynical of the concept and couldn’t understand why her mother, someone who had been burned by it, had such a hopeful outlook on it. By admitting her love for Chloe, she was basically admitting defeat to her mother on the subject. Proving Beca wrong was never Claire’s intention and the brunette was beginning to realize this.

“What do mean how did I mess it up?!” She stared hard at the tombstone.

It only took a moment for her to relent.

“I ran. I ran so I could get over her,” she said. “It’s been nearly two weeks since I ran.”

“I thought the space would help to clear my mind. The funny thing is that while it allowed me to clear my mind, it didn’t make Chloe go away.”

Beca had been unprepared for how love would affect her. It had been a learning experience to say the least.

“The whole time I had been worried that I would ruin our friendship. Even with our distance, I couldn’t help thinking about her. With the distance, I didn’t let it worry me, convinced it would go away. Strangely, now that I wasn’t panicking, I could look at it more clearly. And the more I looked, the less afraid of it I became. And I kept thinking the same thing.”

“I love Chloe, and that’s a good thing,” she said, smiling. “Every time I thought about her, those words kept coming back to me and I found myself smiling.”

She looked down at the ground beneath her, feeling the blades of grass against her fingers and the cooling effect it had on her skin.

“I thought that running away was the safe option. It would protect our friendship and I’d be happier in the long run.”

“It never occurred to me that I had never felt safer than when I was with Chloe.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. Those thoughts had been what she was supposed to find during her time alone.

“I love her, mom. I know you were always the badass mother and I pretended to be like you. It wasn’t hard because we’re not that different. Except I’m also a big softie and I’m perfectly happy with that.”

She placed her hand over her mother’s name.

“I miss you. So much. I wish you could see where I am now, because I know you’d be happy. I wish you could have met Chloe. She’s the best thing to happen to me. You would have loved her.”

She rested her head against the stone for a few minutes. There wasn’t a need to cry, tears for her mother had been shed years ago and it wasn’t a sad moment. She was happy.

“Next time, I’m bringing Chloe with me and you’re going to like it.”

After a while, she stood up and brushed the grass off herself before taking one last glance at the grave. She was going to bring Chloe here. Her mother was only pretending to object to it.

“Goodbye, mom. I’ll see you again soon”


	15. Chapter 15

**Sunday - November 20th**

Beca liked the outlook today. People tended to dislike the cloudy skies and the cooler temperature of winter. The season had connotations of misery and bleakness, apart from the small window that was Christmas. Other than that, winter was something people wanted to be over as soon as possible. They became more irritant because of it.

She loved winter. It wasn’t some attempt to seem alternative or cool, she appreciated all the seasons for the unique atmosphere they brought with them. For someone who seemed a little cold and calculated to the outside world, she was surprised at how often she observed the intangible aspects of things.

For her, winter was a time of self-discovery. Her music tended to flourish during the cold months as she was trapped inside keeping warm on most days.

She stepped outside of her apartment at around nine o’clock in the morning. Her attire was a little on the conservative side for the weather, having opted for a pair of jeans, a red plaid shirt, a thin blue sweatshirt and a scarf. She had gone for comfort over practicality.

It was certainly cold, her breath creating visible puffs of gas before dissipating into the chilly breeze. Luckily, there was no snow or frost so she began walking briskly towards her destination.

Chloe.

It was time for an explanation.

Rain. Even in winter, Beca enjoyed the rain. She wasn’t one for believing in coincidences or signs but the rain was usually a positive. It rained on the day that Chloe started snuggling her feet against the brunette’s. It rained on the day that Chloe told her that she liked her smell. It rained on the day when she realized that she was attracted to Chloe, the love bite imprinted into her memories and still burning against her skin despite it having faded weeks ago.

She didn’t speed up or try to cover herself from the water soaking into her clothing and running against her skin. The cooling effect was welcome and liquid helped to calm her nerves.

There was no need to rush. For once, she wasn’t panicking.

There was a redheaded girl she had grown extremely fond of that was probably worrying about her. It was just in her nature to worry about the people she cared about. Beca needed to speak to this girl.

She arrived shortly at Chloe’s apartment building and made her way up the stairs, dripping all over the wooden floor. Early in the morning, the whole place was rather quiet. The floorboards made slight creaking sounds against her weight.

Chloe’s apartment had a wooden door. For a while now, she hadn’t needed to knock on it. In fact, she didn’t need to knock now. There was a key in her pocket, one the redhead had given her weeks ago.

She chose to knock.

Shuffling and muttering could be heard from behind it before it opened abruptly.

Chloe stood in front of her. She had a hand over one eye rubbing it, clearly having just woken up. Beca loved the older girl’s morning mood. When they were together, she would complain that the other girl was lazy and refused to get out of bed. The sight in front of her made her want to grab ahold of Chloe's hand and take her back to the bedroom.

She had been so distracted by seeing Chloe’s face again that she failed to notice something further down immediately. The older girl was wearing one of Beca’s shirts. It was teal. She had not gone to collect her clothing, which had been piling up, from the redhead’s apartment.

The redhead was clearly surprised by her arrival.

“Hey, Chloe,” Beca said. “Could I come in? I want to talk to you.” Her words came out slowly but there no hesitation.

“You’re always welcome here, Beca.” It was a reminder that she was the one that ran away but Chloe hadn’t delivered it in a spiteful way.

She was still being accepted, even with her mistakes.

The first few tentative steps into the apartment brought her warmth. It was nice to be in this familiar setting again. She made her way to the couch and settled down against it. Chloe went over to the heater and turned it on, causing the faint whisper of water flowing to be heard.

She joined Beca shortly afterwards. It took a moment for either of them to speak but they looked at each other. “Just tell me what’s going on, Becs.” Her tone wasn’t demanding. She was pleading.

"I-I'm sorry it took so long," Beca said.

"It's okay."

Chloe could have been angry, she had every right to be. Yet she was asking for an explanation and using the nickname she had given Beca. The brunette wanted to move across and embrace the other woman.

“I’ve never had a friend like you, Chloe,” she said. It was difficult to decide on just what she wanted to say. There was so much to cover and it all felt like it was going to tumble out.

She continued, not over analyzing her words and just speaking from her heart. “You understand me like no one else. It’s almost unfair because you seem to have me figured out yet I’m still discovering new things about you every day.”

Her wet clothing was starting to soak the heat from her body. She began to shiver, now playing with her thumbs. “You care about me, even when I push you away, I find you nearby. You’re always there for me. I’ve never been this close with anyone before.”

She looked directly at Chloe, letting herself be taken in by the bright blue of the redhead’s eyes. Her confidence was returning to her slowly as she became more sure of what she wanted to say.

"You make me happy.”

Beca wasn’t convinced she was voicing her thoughts properly. She knew that her feelings and emotions regarding other people were sometimes hard to determine. She didn’t need to tell Chloe that she made her happy, the older girl already knew that. The reason for the statement was to show that her happiness was more than just a blip of joy, born out of the circumstances. It was a significant part of her life.

“You’re my best friend,” she continued. “Something I didn’t know I needed until I met you.”

Again, Chloe didn’t need to be told this. Beca just wanted to highlight its importance. The younger girl also found herself enjoying the way it sounded.

“You’re an amazing person, Chloe. You’re kind, loving and passionate. You fight for the things you love and love with all you can give. It’s an admirable trait that makes you open to heartbreak but you’re willing to take the risk because you’ve figured out that the rewards far outway them. It’s something everyone else could learn from.”

“You make it easier to see the parts about myself that I like.”

The rain outside had stopped. The storm clouds above couldn’t block out all of the light and which resulted in a dimly lit room that felt cozy. She started to feel warm as the heater began to take effect. Chloe’s gaze was still on her. She knew that the redhead would be happy with a simple explanation but that wasn’t why she came here.

“I don’t know what you saw in me on that first day but I’m glad you made the effort. Otherwise, I’d have gone back to the sales department, having thought I had messed up another opportunity for a relationship. I’d still be alone.”

She came here because she wanted the girl sitting next to her to know just how important she was to the brunette.

“Beca, you still haven’t told me why you ran.”

“I know.” She looked away from Chloe. Nights had been spent not sleeping worrying about this truth coming out and now she was going to just spill it here. Unlike before, she was happy to do it but it didn’t make the thoughts of the possible outcomes go away.

She took a deep breath and began. “Recently, I’ve been having these strange feelings. I realized that they were to do with you,” she said. “I became scared of them, thinking they would ruin our friendship if I ever voiced them aloud.”

“For the past few weeks, those feeling have been growing more and more. Every little interaction we had made them more apparent, to the point where I couldn’t brush it off as something else. It’s why I ran. I hoped that the distance would help to make my feelings disappear.”

“They didn’t. In the need to get rid of my feelings, I forgot who I was running from. It was only when I remembered did I realize that I wasn’t supposed to be afraid.”

Beca’s eyes focused on Chloe, she didn’t want to falter or back away now.

“Chloe, I’m in love with you.”

An intense sense of relief came first at the confession. She had put herself out into the open knowing full when she was open to heartbreak but she did it anyway. Because she didn’t want to regret not trying. Even if things didn’t work out, she had learned to take risks. And it was all thanks to Chloe.

“I don’t care if you can’t love me in the same way. I just want you in my life,” she finished.

The seconds ticked by, no response coming from the other girl. She just continued to stare.

A sense of dread began to infect Beca. This had been the outcome she had been worried about. To be completely shut out. Tears started to well in her eyes as the silence continued. She didn’t want to avert her eyes just yet. Truth be told, she probably deserved this. She had run away and there had to be consequences. Her ability to understand didn’t make the sharp pain in her chest any less difficult.

“Chloe, please say something,” she begged.

Tears began to trail down her already wet skin. She started blinking and finally looked away.

“You’re soaked.” Chloe’s voice suddenly broke through. She moved closer to Beca, grabbing her hand. “And freezing.” Quick motions were executed as the redhead delicately removed the scarf. She wasn’t making eye contact with the smaller girl who was busy trying to stop the tears still coming down her face.

Next, the sweatshirt, which was pulled apart and Beca’s arms helped out of.

Beca expected rejection to hurt but not this badly. She couldn’t stop the tears. Not only was she heartbroken, but she had possibly alienated her friend in the process. It was her fault entirely.

Fingers, warm and light could be felt on her face. They began to wipe away the droplets cascading down. The comforting touch was a surprise and she turned to look at Chloe.

Warm lips pressed against her own. The cold she felt before was quickly forgotten as a transfer of heat started to take place. Arms, soft and familiar wrapped around her neck, pulling her closer to the other girl. This close together, she could feel the water from her clothing diffusing with the thin absorbent fabric of Chloe’s shirt.

Chloe was warm. So comfortably warm. The difference in temperature between their bodies made every point of contact that much more apparent as they melted together. Her arms slipped around Chloe’s waist and she let out an involuntary moan into the kiss.

It turned out to be a mistake, her mouth opened a little and she soon felt the older girl’s tongue slip in. The euphoric feeling was instant as she accommodated the new sensation. Chloe’s hands moved into Beca’s hair as her fingers ran through the dark locks.

For the few moments that this lasted, Beca allowed herself to enjoy it, forgetting about what would happen afterwards. For the past two weeks, she had been worried about the future and never gave enough time to think about experience the now. She was going to start today.

They broke contact when the need for air became clear, both taking heavy breaths as they disconnected. Beca looked at Chloe to see that she was smiling, the first the brunette had received in two weeks.

“I’m in love with you too, Beca.” Her words were clear and her eyes were striking, once again showing their vulnerability.

She kissed her again, this time Beca was faster to react. The second kiss was just as sweet as the first with almost a reassuring quality to it. The brunette had trouble keeping her mind from going numb between touch of Chloe’s lips and the words that had come out of her mouth. They kept repeating themselves in her head and she hoped she hadn’t misheard.

“Please don’t cry, I hate it when you cry. You’re forgiven, Beca.” Her words were hypocritical as the other girl could see her blinking more, trying to clear the droplets that were forming on her eyes.

Beca pulled her against her chest where Chloe moved up to start peppering kisses on her neck. The brunette could feel the tears escape the redhead’s eyes and dampen her neck, along with the gentle touch of her lips.

“I-I’ve been in love with you for a while. I should have said something. That way, y-you might not have ran,” she said.

Beca’s embrace began a little firmer. “You’re not allowed to blame yourself for this,” she replied. “I acted without considering your feelings. I was selfish and as much as you like to tell me that some things are out of my control or not my fault, this one is. So please don’t carry an unnecessary burden."

Chloe sniffed and nuzzled against her neck. “I’m so glad you’re back. I-I missed you so much.” She had abandoned trying to hide her emotions, a foolish idea considering the circumstances. “I know you’re cold but could we stay like this for a little longer.” Moving her legs up, she sat at Beca’s lap. “I’ll try and keep you warm.”

Beca didn’t argue. In fact, the cold was completely forgotten. She was where she belonged.

"You mean so much to me, Beca."

"I'm so sorry, Chloe."

"It's okay. It really is."

* * *

**Monday - November 21st**

Their second night reunited.

The first day had been spent on the couch under the blanket. They quickly got reacquainted with each other, making up for the lost time. Chloe wasn’t really sure it was happening. She didn’t move from Beca’s lap for several hours, constantly kissing her as they cuddled. They both ended up falling asleep there.

She needed to keep a hold of Beca that day. The joy she was feeling was something she had been without for a while and she didn’t want it to end. It felt surreal and she worried that she would suddenly wake up.

Her lack of contact with the other girl had made her want to make up for every missed kiss and lingering touch.

She worried she was overwhelming the brunette. But each kiss was returned with the same passion it was delivered. She was delicate and tender, never backing away.

Their first night started slowly, both letting the other know that they were nervous. Each understood where the other was coming from. This type of intimacy with someone close to you is important and there’s more fear involved because you don’t want to scare them away. At the same time, she trusted Beca with her heart.

She had eased Beca into it, starting with simple kisses and touches. It was an attempt to relax the younger girl and let her know that she loved her. The brunette became confident shortly afterwards and their nerves dissipated when they remembered who they were with.

It was simply another expression of love. One that Chloe knew she wouldn’t forget.

Every heated kiss.

Every nervous touch.

Falling asleep in her soulmate’s arms.

There was less pressure tonight. Work got in the way of them seeing each other during the day. It had been a frustrating couple of hours. She had rushed home, completely exhausted and collapsed on top of Beca who had been home an hour earlier. The two of them made peanut butter sandwiches and watched television until night came, happy to take things slowly.

She put on one Beca’s shirts, the ones that had been left behind and crawled into bed next to her new girlfriend.

“Why did you keep them?” Beca asked, pointing at the shirt. Her question wasn’t invalid.

“What did you expect me to do?” Chloe questioned.

“Throw them out, return them. Something other than wearing them.”

She took ahold of Beca’s hand and squeezed. “To throw them out would mean that I wanted to forget you. Beca, even if you hadn’t come back, my memories of you would have always been happy. I didn’t throw them out because I never regretted meeting you, spending time with you. Loving you.”

She leaned forward and kissed her. It felt so nice to be able to do that. The contact a reminder that the other person was there.

Beca smiled. She then turned and reached down the side of the bed and pulled out her bag. Unzipping it, she took out a small wooden box, the one with the ocarina.

“I’ve been playing it from time to time, more often recently. It reminded me of you,” she said. “I’m still not amazing but I managed to write a song. It’s about you.”

Chloe knew how important this was to Beca. Up until now, she hadn’t heard any of the musician’s work and she hadn’t pushed, knowing that she would get to hear it when the time was right.

Beca carefully placed the instrument between her lips. She looked towards Chloe for a moment before her eyes seemed to zone out. Fingers took their place over the tiny holes on the surface. Her chest pushed up as she took in air and the first note could be heard.

The sound was light initially combined with extended notes that conveyed a longing. The length of the notes shortened as the song progressed until the middle, where they came out in chipper bursts. Chloe couldn’t hide her smile at the way Beca played. She looked so peaceful and confident with the ocarina, like a medieval bard.

As the song neared its conclusion, it began to slow again but the chipper notes were still present, a combination of the beginning and the middle. They intertwined beautifully, the sweet little sugar drops of sound drowned momentarily by the rich chocolatey notes only to have them be laid on top again.

Suddenly, Beca’s grip seemed to tighten. The next few notes didn’t sound right. The smaller girl’s eyes widened.

“Sorry, I still need pr-”

The redhead cut her off with a kiss. “That was beautiful.”

She stared into Beca’s eyes. “I love you, Beca.”

“I love you too.”

Chloe didn’t need to hear it said. She just liked hearing it. Beca’s song sounded like it. She liked that Beca didn’t hesitate to say it, always looking straight at her, those hypnotizing sharp blue eyes creating a sense of security.

“How is the book going?”

Beca remembered.

“I’ve nearly finished it.”

The brunette started packing away the instrument. "The ending?” she asked. It was a regular question but there was some apprehension that came with the delivery.

“Clarissa falls in love with Beverly.”

“That’s it?”

“You’ll have to read the rest to find out.”

Beca seemed unaffected by the lack of an answer. “It’s got a happy ending,” she said.

Chloe pouted, a little disappointed that she had guessed so easily. “How do you know? Happy endings are predictable. I might have written something crazy.”

“You and I both know that artists don’t create things to please others. They wouldn’t avoid a happy ending just because it was predictable. That misses the point of art. Having a unique story is important but a unique story and a happy ending are not mutually exclusive,” Beca countered. “You know all this, you’re just trying to throw me. Besides, that wasn’t what gave it away.”

“What was it?” Chloe asked, her curiosity peaked.

“You wrote it. There was no way the first book you wrote was going to have an unhappy ending.”

She smiled, amused at Beca’s observation.

“I was going to dedicate it to you, for believing in me.”

Beca laid her head on her pillow. Chloe cuddled into her, placing her head just above the other girl’s chest. From here, she could hear her heartbeat. It was steady and soothing.

She shot up from her position, surprising the smaller girl. Looking down, she gazed at her girlfriend.

Beca was looking back up at her. “What’s wrong, Chlo?”

“Nothing. Nothing is wrong.” Chloe returned to the embrace.

_Everything is perfect._

* * *

**Tuesday - November 22nd**

Clearly Chloe was cursed. To forever wallow in work partners who were late for the job. She didn’t mind Jake. He was efficient and not boring. There wasn’t much more she could ask for. Right now, punctual seemed appropriate.

Storming into Luke’s office couldn’t become one of her things. It was a lame characteristic that she didn’t want to be defined by, no matter how much fun undermining his authority was.

Sighing, she prepared to get up from her desk when she felt a tap on the shoulder.

“Hi, I’m Beca. I think I’m your partner.”

She whipped around in her chair immediately and was rendered speechless. Beca stood in front of her with her regular black blazer and skirt combo. There was a big grin on her face and she was carrying two cups of hot liquid.

She sat down next to Chloe. “I got us some tea. You seem really nervous and tea always helps me with that.”

Seconds later, with the redhead still not having said a word, she found herself unable to even try as she felt Beca’s lips on her.

“I find the best way to deal with awkwardness is to kiss my girlfriend. Over and over again.”

Chloe giggled and kissed back.

“How are you here?” she asked.

“Luke’s a pushover. I convinced him to give me back my job. He seemed happy about it so I’m not too beat up about forcing him” Beca said nonchalantly.

The two of them reorganized their desk back to way it had been before. Bad Trombonist was taken out of a drawer and placed back to be seen.

Soon it was time to return to work. Despite the time spent apart, she found her bare feet massaging Beca’s under the desk. The rest of the workday was spent catching up on the projects missed. For Chloe, it was a reminder of just how much her work was improved by the presence of the smaller girl.

Beca had already dealt with HR so there weren’t any worries about public displays of affection and Chloe took every opportunity to indulge in them. Most people didn’t seem perturbed. In fact, no one seemed to bat an eyelid, the earlier rumors had clearly had an effect.

As there work day came to a close, she hugged Beca as the brunette shut her computer down. Even with the other girl back at work, she had been reluctant to do anything. She just wanted to enjoy her girlfriend’s company. Beca didn’t appear to be unresponsive to that desire, willing to abandon work at a moment's notice.

“Thank you, for accepting me back,” she said to Chloe.

“Don’t thank me. This was all just an excuse to-” She wanted to joke about the incident but it didn’t seem right at the time. “You were never going to be rejected, Becs.”

Beca took her hand and walked out of the building together. The redhead pressed herself against Beca’s side the whole way through the office, down the elevator and onto the street, a big smile plastered across her face the whole time.

The sky was bright and clear despite being the start of winter.

She was rather hoping for a bit of rain.

* * *

“You should move in with me,” Chloe said.

She had spent more than a few hours thinking about this. The positives were obvious. Beca wouldn’t be paying rent on an apartment she wasn’t living in. She would be close at all times. The time apart had made the place lifeless. With Beca, It would become more than just Chloe’s apartment. It would be their first home.

They were in the living room listening to music. Chloe was ironing and folding clothes. Beca was going through a mountain of paper consisting of bills, things from work and her music notes. At the utterance of the older girl’s sentence, her head turned sharply.

“Isn’t that a little fast? We only got together a couple of days ago.”

“So?” Chloe had been prepared for resistance. Usually it would be difficult to convince Beca to go forward with something like this but not this time. She simply had to make the younger girl see reason.

“Well, they say you shouldn’t move in too quickly with your significant other. It can get messy.”

“That’s because it’s a change in the dynamic of the relationship. We’ve been living together for the past few months without any problems. Is there anything that you could do at your place that you can’t do here?” Chloe argued.

“No.” Beca averted her eyes, back to the pile of paper. “I just don’t want to mess things up. Regardless of how much time I spend here, it becomes something different when we make it official.”

“You’re right,” Chloe replied. “But I believe we can make it work.”

Beca opened her mouth, looking to say something before shutting it immediately.

“You know you can tell me anything, Becs."

“Are you worried that I’m going to run away from you again?”

Chloe shook her head. “No, I trust you,” she said. “Whenever you have a problem, I just want you to run to me.”

Beca looked to be contemplating the idea.

“Okay,” she said finally.

“My home feels empty without you, Beca. Because it’s not my home, it’s ours.”

With that, she moved over to Beca and gave her a kiss before returning to her work.

Beca was a supportive, gentle soul, more complex than her outward experience. She cared, deeply, about the people in her life which was why Chloe found it strange that Beca had been as alone as she was. The brunette was naturally protective and put the needs of others before herself, almost to a fault.

She didn’t take anything for granted, always cherishing their moments together. When they talked, Chloe was at ease. Her thoughts were considered and respected. As was her affection.

She didn’t feel like she needed to prove something to Beca. The other girl was just happy to be with her. Actually, it felt like Beca was there because she wanted to be. Her introverted nature meant she rarely showed affection for others. It was a strength and a weakness in a sense.

Because Beca was so unpracticed at love, she was unable to hide her sincerity and her affection came out like a flood.

Chloe loved her, wanted her close.

* * *

**Saturday - November 26th**

The smell of the beef slow cooking in the oven began to float past her nose and through the open window in the cold midday air. Stacie was busy chopping up vegetables while Aubrey peeled them by her side. From here, they could see out into the street and the park, just high enough off the ground that the people were distinct but the sound of the street minimal.

“Here they come,” Aubrey said, pointing the peeler at the pair on the street.

They were both wrapped up in thick coats and scarves. Beca was carrying a tray covered in tin foil, Chloe’s arm linked with hers. They were talking animatedly with smiles on their faces.

“They look so adorable together,” Stacie commented.

After finding out about the two of them getting together, Stacie demanded that they all have lunch together. It was a cold weekend and she and Aubrey didn’t have anything planned which meant they were in danger of staying in bed past midday. She had awoken early in the morning and started preparing the roast only to be tackled into a hug by Aubrey who woke up shortly afterwards.

Truthfully, they both wanted to see Beca and Chloe again. The redhead had been in a miserable mood for the past two weeks and they hadn’t seen Beca at all. It would be good to give them a congratulatory meal. She worried that becoming couples would mean that they saw less of each other. Aubrey didn’t see it that way but was more than happy to have them for lunch.

Soon, a knock on the door signalled that the two of them had arrived. Stacie continued chopping while Aubrey went to the door.

“Hey, you guys,” she said.

“Hey,” the two of them said in unison.

Beca handed the tray to the blonde. “We baked a cake. It’s our second attempt so it’s better than you’re going to expect it to be but still not great.”

Chloe rolled her eyes and moved into the apartment walking over to Stacie.

“Hey, Stace.”

“Hey, you. How are things?”

The redhead smiled before she reached down into the sink and started peeling.

“Good. Really good.”

Stacie turned around to face the other two girls. “Bree, could you go get some carrots and some peas? We’re out.”

Aubrey nodded and grabbed her coat from the hook.

“I’ll go with her,” Beca said.

As soon as the two shut the door, Stacie dropped her knife and pulled Chloe into a suffocating hug. The other girl was caught by surprise and unable to return the hug, her arms pinned to her sides.

“You did it,” Stacie shouted.

Chloe giggled. “No, we did it. Now loosen up so I can breathe,” she begged.

The brunette quickly complied which allowed Chloe to return the embrace. She hadn’t seen her friend in nearly a week, the last time Chloe had looked miserable. Now, she looked so happy that Stacie found it hard to contain herself. They had both managed to get the girl.

“I have something for you,” Chloe said. She walked back to her coat and pulled out a stack of papers. Her walk back was a little slower and she seemed anxious to be rid of the item in her hand.

She handed it to Stacie. It felt thick and heavy in her hand, at least one hundred pages. The top page was white with a black font. It read ‘Intertwined Fingers and Raindrops by Chloe Beale’.

“It’s my book, at least the first draft of it. Beca has been reading it and insisted that I make a copy for the two of you,” the redhead said.

Stacie could tell that she was nervous about it just from her eyes. “Thank you, Chloe.” She attempted to turn the cover page when Chloe’s hand came down harshly on it.

“Can you not read it while I’m here? It’s embarrassing.”

Stacie raised her eyebrow. “Why?”

Chloe sighed. “Because it’s terrible,” she replied. “And it’s about Beca and me.”

“Now I’m even more excited to read it. Plus I doubt it’s that bad. Beca has good taste, it’s probably pretty good,” Stacie reassured.

“You and Aubrey are in it, I hope you don’t mind.”

The brunette smiled. “Not at all. What am I in it?”

She could see Chloe’s eyes light up as she became a little more confident in her work. “Your name in the book is Suzanne and you work at the local hospital as a doctor. Aubrey’s name is Andrea. She works for the town council.”

Stacie looked down at the book. “It’s got a happy ending, doesn’t it?”

The frown that formed on Chloe’s face was instant. “Not you too. I’m not that predictable, goddamnit!” she shouted causing the other girl to chuckle.

“Hey, predictably and a unique-” Stacie’s replied was cut off by a hand over her mouth.

“I’ve already been through this with Beca, you two can laugh about my work in your own time.”

“For such an optimistic person, you have no faith in your writing.”

Instead of a verbal response, Stacie found herself in another hug, Chloe’s head now resting on her shoulder. It caught her by surprise.

“Thanks for supporting me, with everything,” Chloe whispered.

The taller girl hugged back, her eyes closing and letting herself enjoy their moment. “You helped me too, remember. It’s not difficult helping a friend, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

They remained like that for a while, just enjoying a peaceful moment. A secret rendezvous after a successful mission.

Stacie’s worry of losing touch with her friend melted away. Chloe had included her in the book, a sign that the brunette wasn’t just a passing acquaintance.

They would be lifelong friends, preserved in writing.

* * *

**Sunday - November 27th**

Early morning. The pair had decided to spend the first few hours of the day in bed. There was a sudden lack of urgency in their lives and time seemed to move at a much slower rate. Winter mornings continued to be cold so staying in bed with a warm body next to them was more than pleasant.

Beca was using her laptop to type out an email to her landlord. To explain that she wasn’t going to be a tenant anymore. A couple of sentences were all that could be considered work for her today. Chloe sat beside her, snuggling up to her side while proofreading her book. Both their legs were underneath the blanket and she could feel the heat radiating from the redhead through the thin layers of their pyjamas.

She couldn’t help but think about how perfect this was.

They were no longer alone. She had found her soulmate. No matter how difficult things became, Chloe was waiting for her to run into her arms. A loving touch, a comforting warmth. She would wake up next to her every morning, their bodies tangled together, trying to become one.

She felt needed. There was someone that relied on her just as she relied on them. Becoming dependant on each other wasn’t a weakness. It actually made them stronger, allowing them to take risks knowing that there was someone to catch them if they fall.

Beca never realized she had so much love in her heart. Every moment with Chloe made it more obvious. She wasn’t fully sure how to utilize it but she was looking forward to learning, to showing Chloe just how much she loved her. There would be more unsure moments where she would stumble through something but Chloe always saw her intention. Besides, the other girl was going to outdo her at every turn but she would have fun trying to keep up. It was nice knowing that Chloe wanted her love, whatever kind of love Beca was willing to give.

Life was no longer something she trudged through. Where every day felt roughly the same and the hours ticked by so quickly. A drab existence before she faded into oblivion.

There were discernable moments now, all full of color, implanted in her memory.

She was loved. Chloe’s love and affection were nothing like she had ever had before. There were moments where she wasn’t sure she was fully appreciating it and times when she felt like there had been a mistake and she wasn’t supposed to be getting loved like this. If Chloe were to hear her voice thoughts like that, the older girl would prove her wrong in seconds. It wasn’t just Chloe’s love that she was unfamiliar with, it was the idea that she deserved it. And Beca was slowly beginning to accept it.

She was happy.

With each other, they were truly themselves. Free of judgement, not having to worry about perception. Safe in the knowledge that they were understood.

Chloe would hold her hand, Beca would interlock their fingers. And they'd step out into the rain, walking slowly. Happy to be with the other.

“What are you thinking about?” Chloe asked.

“You, mostly,” Beca said with a smile.

Reaching across, she took one of Chloe’s hands catching the other girl’s attention. The laptop was shut and the book dropped onto the bed. The redhead was pulled onto Beca’s lap where she snuggled against her.

Chloe’s hand pressed onto the brunette’s shoulders and she looked directly at her. Eyes closed moments later and lips pressed against each other. Beca kissed back, her hands gently cascading down the older girl’s back.

“Are you worried about something?” Chloe asked.

“No, I’m just really happy and I’m trying to take it all in.”

Chloe’s half-awake morning eyes gained a sudden amount of clarity.

“Beca, I’m not sure where life is going to lead me,” she said. “But I want you with me every step of the way.” Her words were sincere, sounding like they came out after much thought.

“As long as you’re there, I don’t care where we go."

**The End**

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Epilogue**

To Beca, Pitch Perfect had been a stepping stone to a new path in her life. Her dream had never seemed close but she assumed that the company would be the final step. Somewhere along the way, she had lost the drive to follow her dream, always lacking inspiration.

With Chloe, it had been renewed and she found herself working on music more often and more enthusiastically than ever before. She was simply content to just make music in her free time but the redhead had other plans.

Chloe would listen to all her work closely and give her opinions. She would never outright reject anything Beca created because of music's inherent subjectivity, even compared to other art forms.

**Over the course of the next year,**  Chloe pushed her to submit her recordings and demos to local labels and see if any of them were interested. It wasn't that Beca thought her work was poor, she was actually rather proud of it. She just didn't see the point in working with a label, she was happy to make music for herself.

" _You should be spending your time doing something you love. Stop wasting it at Pitch Perfect," Chloe said._

Eventually, after much convincing from Chloe, she relented and sent some stuff out. Secretly, she was excited at the response but didn't want to admit to Chloe that this had been a good decision, that would come later.

She did get a response.

A local indie label with a small studio known as The Bellas responded. They wished to sign her on and help produce an album.

The news meant that she would have to stop working at Pitch Perfect. Chloe was fully supportive, helping her prepare for the new job and reassuring her that things were going to be okay.

Beca did have an ultimatum. She would only take the job if Chloe agreed to publish her book. After completion, it had sat in a perfectly proofread state for a couple of months. The brunette had assumed that the other girl was working with publishers to get her book printed. It turned out that she hadn't been doing anything with it, having already moved onto her second work. 'Intertwined Fingers and Raindrops' had been read by at least three other people who all genuinely enjoyed it.

Somewhat reluctantly, both had agreed to the deal.

Working with The Bellas, Beca found that her methods of music creation were unorthodox. Being a small label, they allowed her a high level of creative freedom citing low risk as the reason.

* * *

**Wednesday - August 23rd**

"I don't know about this, Beca," Chloe said. She was sat in the soundproof recording booth looking at Beca through the glass.

Beca smiled. "You'll do fine. Just give it a try and if it's terrible, we just won't include it."

"Why can't you find someone who you know can sing to perform it?"

Beca moved her mouth close to the microphone so that her voice would sound blown out and loud when it went through Chloe's headphones.

"Because it's a song about you, Chloe!" she shouted. Chloe's wince was immediate. "I want you to be a part of the album."

"Fine!"

Beca counted her down and started playing the backing track. Chloe began fidgeting in her chair as her part in the song approached and she kept throwing nervous glances at the other girl.

A few seconds before her part, Chloe exhaled gently and shut her eyes. The song was to be a duet with the two of them. The reason Beca hadn't tried to find anyone else was because she wasn't going to do the song with anyone other than Chloe.

She had spent longer on this song than any of the others on the album and had purposely written a duet even with the knowledge that it may never be performed or appear on the album. When she said she was doing this for herself, she had meant it.

A momentary thought shattered.

Chloe's started singing, her voice suddenly filling Beca's headphones. The sound wasn't unlike her speaking voice, it just sounded so much sweeter and warmer than expected.

Chloe's voice was sonically elegant. Like a wind chime made of ice, it was crystal clear and cool as it melded with the music. Despite her inexperience, she was hitting all of the required notes and transitioning between verses beautifully. Her eyes were still closed, she had memorized the lyrics and there was an understanding of the tone and delivery required for each line.

The song sounded nothing like Beca had imagined when she was writing it but she couldn't deny that it was better this way. Chloe had indirectly contributed to its creation.

She was glad that Chloe had yet to open her eyes, otherwise she would be caught staring in awe.

They remained closed till the end of the song. Small changes occurred as it flowed. Chloe's fidgeting lessened as she seemed to gain a physical confidence. The grip she had on the stool was removed and her arms moved in front of her as she imitated the rise and fall of her voice, almost as a guide.

The song ended.

Eyes opened.

A return to a less sure state for Chloe. Her cheeks colouring a touch more crimson as she looks towards Beca.

"How was that?" she asked.

The brunette felt that her bright smile was enough of a gauge on Chloe's performance and, therefore, an answer was unwarranted.

Unwilling to leave the girl confused, she opened the door to the booth and stepped inside. A kiss was placed on Chloe's cheek.

"You were wonderful," she said.

The other stool in the booth was moved and placed next to Chloe's. Taking the lyrics in front of her, Beca began making changes, her mind ablaze now that a new living breathing instrument had been added.

Within a minute, she was finished. Chloe remained silent throughout the process, something she always seemed to do as Beca worked.

"What are we doing," The redhead asked.

"We're going to do it together now."

* * *

Her album was critically acclaimed, being described as an introspective work of art that was very unconventional for a starting singer-songwriter. While she didn't much care about what others thought of it, she couldn't be unhappy with the response and the knowledge that other people were enjoying her work was a little thing that made making music more fun.

Sales wise, it sold well. She wasn't setting the world on fire but that was never her intention. The label was more than happy with the response, citing the reviews as a big positive. She wasn't going to be the biggest name in music, her work was too niche for that to be the case. But she created an album that would be long lasting and there was potential for growth.

The label was so thrilled that they decided to hire her as a producer for their other artists while she worked on her next album. They liked her work ethic and general attitude to music.

She accepted.

For Chloe, the process of finding a publisher for her book wasn't the easiest thing in the world. Given the declining interest in written fiction in the western world, most companies were only interested in releasing books which had the potential to be wide reaching.

It was a frustrating first few months where she would receive calls from publishers telling her that they had no interest in publishing the work. In some instances, it was clear that they had enjoyed the book but it didn't make business sense to invest in it.

She did find a publisher.

The book did better than expected, and much like Beca's album, sold well. It was featured on the newspapers and websites of many publications with great reviews and even managed to earn her a few television interviews.

Like all books, it's time in the limelight was short-lived as the fast-paced way that modern society consumed media meant that it wasn't going to be talked about for much more than a month. It didn't matter, because it was something that would be remembered for longer and that meant more.

Chloe's favorite thing about her book wasn't the acclaim it received in the media. It was the occasional message she would receive from a fan, sometimes by email and a couple of actual letters, telling her how much they enjoyed her work.

The second book was a problem. She didn't want to start it. The idea seemed daunting and she wasn't sure that she could replicate the success of the first. It took Beca to convince her that she shouldn't aim to surpass her prior work and should focus on writing what she wanted, regardless of its reception.

**A few months into Beca's time at The Bellas** , she found out about a job opening at a managerial level and she decided to convince Chloe to take it. The position would be better paying than Pitch Perfect, the Bellas were hoping to attract talent with the slightly higher salary offer.

Chloe submitted her application, unconvinced that they would take her.

Two weeks later, she was the Head of Public Relations at the Bellas. The two of them got to see each other during the day again, something they had missed for the past year.

For her second album, Beca decided that she wanted to do something she had yet to do. Even from a young age, the creative side of making music had been a solitary effort. It hadn't been a conscious decision to avoid collaboration, it just never occurred to her to try it. There hadn't been anyone she had wanted to do it with before.

The brief moments they had spent together working on the song for her previous album had been some of her favorite parts of making that record.

She scrapped what little work had been done on the second album.

She then asked Chloe if she wanted to write and perform the album together.

Beca would have to teach her everything starting with the basics but it was a fraction of the things that the other girl had taught her.

Chloe accepted.

* * *

**Saturday - March 24th**

Beca took the basket from the car and waited for Chloe as she collected the red and white checkered blanket from the backseat. The redhead was wearing a white sundress with a tinge of blue added to the color. The top of the dress contained deep blue flowers that encircled the rim.

The brunette was also wearing a dress, at the insistence of her girlfriend. She had opted for a plain coral sundress, one of her older ones. It still looked new despite the age thanks to the lack of use.

The walk through the familiar paths of the cemetery was very different from her previous visit over one and half years ago. Not from a visual standpoint, the place hadn't changed in the time although she could argue that her sight was metaphorically different.

Beca thought that her idea of having a picnic would make Chloe a little less stressed at the idea of the cemetery. She didn't want to make a big deal about it. The sun was shining brightly through the cloud cover without being overbearing, providing a current of warmth to the otherwise cool climate. This morning, the air was incredibly still which was oddly comforting.

To be fair to Chloe, everyone tended to be a little worried about meeting the parents of their significant other.

To be unfair to Chloe, Beca's mother was dead so this need to make a good impression was unwarranted.

Apparently, the number of times the smaller girl stated this fact or told Chloe that her mother would approve of her did little to change the girl's mind.

"Do you think my dress is showing off too much skin," Chloe asked as they continued along the path.

Beca sighed. "Firstly, my mother was not born in the 1800s so a little bit of shoulder skin isn't going to make her faint," she stated. "And secondly, she continues to be dead and the fact that you can't seem to grasp that is almost offensive."

Chloe frowned. "Wait till you have to meet my parents. I won't be helping you then."

Once they reached the gravestone, Beca walked casually up to it and placed the basket on the ground. She watched as Chloe tentatively approached, all the while rolling her eyes at the other girl.

Beca sighed and turned. "Stop whining," she said to the headstone. "You know you're the only mother that complains when her children visit.

"Come on, Chlo. I want to introduce you."

She plopped down in front of the headstone and pulled Chloe down with her. There was fresh dew that glistened and made the smell of the grass more powerful. It also coated the grave, beads of water collecting together before becoming too heavy to hold and cascading down into the soft earth below.

"Mom, this is Chloe, the girl I was telling you about."

The few seconds of silence that passed made her turn towards the redhead. Chloe was staring at the grave and her eyes darted towards Beca immediately.

"Say something, Chloe. You don't have to be nervous," the brunette reassured.

Chloe nodded and her face formed to show her best smile.

"Hello, Mrs Mitch-"

"Just call her Claire," Beca interrupted.

"Hello, Claire. It's nice to meet you, I'm your daughter's girlfriend."

Beca began to spread out the blanket for the picnic and take out the small container of sandwiches, drinks and plastic plates. As she made the preparations for their meal, she noticed that the other girl had gone silent once again and had turned towards her.

"Is what I said okay? " Chloe asked. "What did she say about me?"

"I don't know, she's dead," Beca replied, grinning. She received a playful shove in response. "She said she likes you."

Chloe turned back to the tombstone and cleared her throat.

"Claire, I wanted to thank you for raising an amazing daughter. She's incredibly sweet and a massive softy. Apparently you were the one to push her towards me so I want to thank you for that as well," she said.

"You're pandering a lot here," Beca interjected. A glare was directed her way before Chloe continued.

"I-I can't describe how much Beca means to me." Chloe's tone had shifted once again. "Her modesty seems to cloud the impact she has on my life but I think she's beginning to realize it. When the two of us are together, it's not the feeling of being unstoppable that I get, although that's there to a certain extent. It's the lack of pressure, the absence of worry and the feeling of safety. I find it hard to articulate without rambling."

"When I'm with Beca, I feel a sense of peace that I have never felt before. I love your daughter. She is my soulmate and I'm going to keep trying until you consider me worthy enough to be with her."

It was then that she realized how much this visit meant to Chloe. The redhead wasn't trying to indulge her by talking to Claire. Her need to make a good impression had been sincere and she hadn't wanted to take the easy way out even though she could, considering that there wasn't a need to prove herself to Beca's parents. The smaller girl never expected her to anyway.

Beca moved towards her girlfriend and slipped her arms around the girl's waist from behind. She then pulled the girl towards her so that Chloe was resting against her chest. The older girl looked up at her once the action was completed.

"She doesn't get to decide that," Beca said and closed the space between their lips.

The pair spent a few more minutes talking to Claire. Chloe spent most of the time regaling Claire of their time together at the behest of the brunette. It was good to relax and reminisce, giving them perspective on how far they had come.

The positive mood of the day was somewhat undercut by the fact that her mother was only there in spirit. She found herself holding Chloe closer and closer and the other girl seemed to comply, reflexively comforting her with light touches.

She counted herself more than lucky that Chloe found her.

"Tell me about her," the redhead said, moving her head from the crook of Beca's neck to make eye contact.

Beca told Chloe about her strange mother. Her childhood had been far from normal and she had her mother to thank for the good parts. Claire's influence on her was only in ideals. Their perspectives, tastes and personality were different and she realized that this difference had been by design. Claire had wanted her to become her own person.

As the picnic came to a conclusion, Chloe whispered a few more things to Claire while Beca cleaned up. The smaller girl pushed for an explanation of the exchanged only to be brutally rebutted.

"Do you want some time alone with her?" Chloe asked. "I'll go put the stuff in the car and wait for you."

Beca took her hand. "No, it's okay. There's nothing I want to say to her that I would keep from you."

Chloe smiled. "I know that, I just wanted to make sure."

Beca gave her a kiss on the cheek. The taller girl turned back to the headstone.

"Bye, Claire," she said.

Beca took her hand and the two began their walk back through the pathways.

_Bye, mom_

* * *

Their experience creating an album together reminded them of their time at Pitch Perfect, except they were doing something far more enjoyable while spending time with each other.

It was an odd feeling for Chloe when Beca asked her if she wanted to continue working on music together. The brunette had been so casual about it but the thrilling feeling that she got from it was perhaps unwarranted. They had been together for just over two years at the time so the idea of her girlfriend wanting to do something with her shouldn't have been so exciting.

In her own creative realm, she was also glad that Beca had pushed her to write a second book. It was hard for life to feel mundane when the work you did every day felt new and challenging.

* * *

**Saturday - 13th October**

Chloe looked eagerly at her girlfriend. Beca had been willing to share her creative medium with the redhead and all she wanted was to return the favour. While her fears had been a frankly weak argument about her uncertainty when it came to singing, something Beca characterized as false modesty later on, the smaller girl had a much more thought out and clear set of reasons for why she would be a poor writer. She cited reasons such as a lack of visual and conceptual creativity.

"But you haven't even tried it," Chloe whined. She didn't try to push too hard. The last thing she wanted was for Beca to be forced into something she didn't want to do. It would just guarantee that she would not enjoy it.

The two were about to turn in for the night, them, having watched videos on the laptop, tucked under the covers.

"I wouldn't even know where to begin," Beca argued. "I don't know if you know this, Chloe, but writing a book takes a lot of time and work."

Chloe rolled her eyes at the other girl's sarcasm. "You don't have to write a lot, just a short little piece would do."

"Why though?"

The redhead whimpered. "To prove that you love me."

The rebuttal, a pillow to the face, didn't even take a second to reach her. She couldn't hold back her giggles as she rubbed the impact point on her nose.

"I hate you," Beca said.

Her pouting made Chloe feel a little bad about her dirty tactic. To compensate, she pulled the shorter girl closer to her and kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry, honey."

The brunette turned her attention away from the laptop. "I could try it if you want, just give me a little time."

Chloe suppressed her glee at the response. "Sure, only if you feel like it though," she said, trying to sound as casual as possible.

She waited for just over a week. Actually, she waited roughly ten hours before pestering Beca about her progress. Every time, there was a threat that she would stop if it continued but after about four days, it became clear that Beca had invested in her story and wasn't going to abandon it just because Chloe was impatient.

"What are you expecting from this?" Beca asked on the fifth day.

"The greatest piece of literature ever conceived."

"I'll try and beat the quality of your writing, which shouldn't be all that hard," she deadpanned before walking away.

Chloe just grinned, unnecessary happy with herself for winding up her girlfriend.

"That's for not answering my question properly," Beca shouted from the other room.

It was on a Saturday morning, the tenth day since writing began that Chloe finally got to read it. Beca had awoken earlier and, like most mornings, had been forced to escape the redhead's hold on her.

"I'm going to go get us something for breakfast," Beca said.

Chloe made a defeated sound from underneath the covers. It sounded enough like confirmation that she stuck to it.

"By the way, I finished the story. It's on the desk." Beca pointed to the small pile of papers that had magically appeared overnight.

With that, she departed leaving the other girl, who was now slightly more awake.

Chloe got up and dragged herself to the desk, using as little energy as possible to collect the papers before returning to the comfy confines of her comforter.

A quick count of the pages revealed there to be fifteen of them, single sided, single-spaced and written in a small point text. The title of the piece was 'Appearance Of Hawks'.

She began reading. The story was a tale of espionage, starting in a small cafe in Washington D.C. It was from two perspectives, an American C.I.A. agent and an American-born British MI6 agent. The former sounded a lot like Chloe and initially, she put it down to accidental replication on Beca's part. This theory was quickly thrown away when the MI6 agent was revealed to be a short, plaid wearing brunette.

She smiled to herself as she read through their first meeting.

Beca's tale was a little more action-orientated than Chloe's work. She wrote it as a series of missions between the two main characters and focused on the way their relationship formed.

As Chloe continued to read, she realized she had stumbled upon an unintended consequence of asking Beca to write something. Because the brunette had chosen to base her characters on the two of them, Chloe got to see how her girlfriend viewed their relationship for the first time. Obviously, they had talked about how they had been feeling when they were unsure of each other's feelings but it was different to read it and take it in from the other's perspective.

The fifteen pages were absorbed surprisingly quickly. Beca was far from a bad writer. There was a distinct stylistic difference between the two of them. Chloe's approach to storytelling was slower with a focus on scene setting. Beca's work had an abrupt quality to it, the story moving from place to place at a moment's notice with much snappier dialogue sequences.

The single commonality between them was their descriptions of the character's emotional states, which was peppered in throughout the pages.

Chloe was awoken, having fallen asleep after finishing the story, the pages scattered all over the bed.

"Was my work that bad?" Beca asked.

The smell of fresh pastries made its way from the kitchen into Chloe's nose. She rubbed her eyes and looked up the disturbance that was her girlfriend. Beca sat down on the bed and ran her hand over the older girl's cheek coming to a comforting rest on it. She then leaned in and gave a small kiss to the forehead.

"What did you think?" She asked, pointing to the scattered papers.

Chloe shifted, resting herself on the headboard and collected the pages into a neat pile. She smiled to herself as she looked at the last page and the ending Beca had written.

"Why did you make us the two main characters?"

"You said yourself that it doesn't matter what our circumstances are, we'd always end up together."

"Well, I loved it. Every single sentence of it. I read through it three times."

"Oh," she said, the look of surprise difficult to hide as Chloe's words registered.

"Thank you for this, Becs. I know you don't think it's a big deal but it means a lot to me."

Beca was blushing. "I can't say that it didn't mean anything to me. I spent a lot of time on it and I only left to go get breakfast because I couldn't be here when you were reading it."

Chloe took Beca's hand into her own and squeezed reassuringly. "Thank you for giving them a happy ending."

"Thank you for giving me a happy ending."

Chloe threaded her fingers into other girl's brown locks, slowly moving closer to her lips. They connected slowly, locking together. The feeling of Beca's lips suddenly jolted her from her morning state.

Beca reacted slowly, pulling her girlfriend from her resting position onto her lap. Chloe wrapped her legs around the smaller girl's waist and intensified the kiss, the force pushing Beca backwards.

From her new position, Chloe unzipped Beca's jacket and helped her out of it. Next, the shirt. The buttons were in the way and had to be removed. She started with the top and began working her way down.

Partway through, she glanced from the current button to Beca's eyes and her actions stopped. The brunette's eyes were shining, looking back at her intently. Getting lost in them hadn't been something Chloe stopped doing. Time seemed to stop during these moments. She guessed it did by the fact that Beca never seemed to notice the staring, even when the redhead had been absent from reality for a while.

Each time it happened, Chloe felt a sense of tranquillity.

Catching herself, she returned to the buttons. This time, she was slower to proceed, moving her hand over Beca's newly exposed skin as each one came undone. There wasn't a need to rush. The shiver that ran underneath her hand at her touch told the older girl that she was doing something right.

"I promise I'll find you, no matter the circumstances," Chloe said.

She leaned down, capturing Beca's lips for another kiss.

* * *

Chloe treasured those pages.

A few weeks later, she walked into their bedroom to find another set of pages on her pillow. It was another story. Once again, the two main characters bore a striking resemblance to the two of them.

She slipped into bed and read through it, taking her time.

A familiar smile appeared on her face when she finished. Beca had written another happy ending for the two of them. At the end of the last pages, a small message was handwritten.

'For you, Chloe'

It wasn't the first time it happened. Every once in a while, Chloe would find a story somewhere in her house. Each one was another story about her and Beca, finding love. She didn't ask for them and there was no rhyme or reason to when she got them.

The odd thing was that Beca would never be home when she found the story.

Eventually, she managed to corner the brunette as she was trying to make her escape. Chloe took her back to their bedroom and read the story with the other girl by her side. She would glance at Beca whenever a part made her smile and would replicate any kiss or touch Beca's character would receive.

Beca stopped being shy about her writing and began presenting her stories to Chloe personally, albeit with some apprehension. Each one was read with the smaller girl by her side, with every affectionate action performed together and all of them ended with the same familiar message.

Chloe kept those pages safe with her. On days when the two of them were separated, she would find herself rereading the stories. It was a gentle reminder that Beca loved her, in a million different ways.

It was around this time, nearly three years into their relationship, that she decided to ask a question that had been on her mind for the past few months.

* * *

**Sunday - June 15th**

There was a significant temperature difference between Chloe's two hands. Both were occupied with something. Her left hand was cool, thanks to the reduced temperature of the wafer cone full of vanilla ice cream generously garnished with an unhealthy amount of strawberry syrup.

Her right hand was warm, her fingers linked intimately with the brunette next to her as they walked along the pathway.

A welcoming cool breeze blew through the trees in the park and rushed past them. It was close to midday and the summer sun was bearing down on them. The two had been in their apartment but Beca had declared loudly that she could not take it anymore and said they were going to the park to get away from the sweltering confines of their home.

Chloe didn't want to point out that it might be actually worse to go outside.

Ice cream was purchased and the two walked in the shade provided by the trees overhead, now a lush green. There was a peculiar contrast of dark and light in the park. The clearings where children played were lit brightly by the sun and looking at them from the safety of the shade was almost overbearing, making Chloe squint.

Her attention was diverted when Beca spoke.

"Oh, God!" she said, looking towards the clearing.

"What's wrong?" Chloe asked.

The smaller girl pointed towards a park bench with two elderly occupants, one female and one male. "Those two are going to die out here."

Chloe giggled. "That's a little morbid, even for you. Plus, they look like a tough old couple."

"Maybe we should buy them a drink or something."

"I'm sure that will go over well. 'Hey, nice old couple, we were wondering if you wanted some drinks because we think you might die just by sitting out here.'"

Her mind wasn't concentrating on the old couple, nor was it concerned with the heat, the temperature of her hand, the direction of their travel or the fact that her ice cream was starting to melt.

"Beca?"

"Hmm."

"Have you thought about uhm, marriage?" She asked nonchalantly while discarding the ice-cream in a nearby trashcan.

The brunette looked her way. "Have  **you**  thought about it?"

Chloe nodded. "It's been lingering in my mind for the past few months and recently, I've given it more thought," she replied. "I thought talking to you about it directly would be better than just wondering about it on my own."

Beca smiled, giving her hand a squeeze. "Tell me what you want, Chlo."

The redhead placed her free hand over the top of Beca's and began a massaging motion.

"I want to share my life with you, Beca," she replied. Looking up to meet Beca's gaze, she found the younger girl was still listening. "I want to be close to you when you need support and run to you when things become difficult. I want to take care of you, I want you to let me take care of you."

Chloe nuzzled against Beca's neck and the other girl accommodated her, slightly raising her head in response.

"I can't imagine life without you."

She guided Beca off the pathway and under the shade of a large tree, just out of view of other people.

"You're my soulmate. You're the only one I see in my future. You're the one I see walking down the aisle to. You're the one I walk into my first house with. You're the one I want to start a family with."

"You're the one I want to grow old with."

"I want to be your wife," she said. "And I want everything that comes along with it. I want to wake up next to you every morning and go to sleep in your arms every night."

"I want to be your wife, Beca, because I already feel like I am."

Slipping her arms around the smaller girl's waist, Chloe pulled her up and kissed her while gently resting the two of them against the tree. Beca's arms wrapped around the redhead's neck, smoothly pressing her fingers against the skin.

Chloe pulled away and searched Beca's eyes. Love molded with Lust was on the surface, brought on by the kiss and by how closely the two were pressed together. At any other time, she would have taken to devouring the vulnerable version of the brunette.

As she said before. She wanted to take care of Beca.

Right now, she wanted to know if Beca felt the same way.

"Have you thought about it?" She asked.

Beca eyes focused but she didn't make a move to remove herself from the other girl's hold, instead pressing her head against Chloe's chest.

"Yeah, I have," she replied. "I want to be married to you too."

"Are you sure?" Chloe asked.

Beca giggled before planting a kiss on her lips. "Do you really think I would be flippant about something like this?"

Her bright smile caused Chloe to look down and blush. Beca lifted her face and with fingers resting on her chin, gave her another kiss. "I'm usually the one that needs reminding that you love me."

"I've been thinking about our future as well. I know I seem like someone who might not care about marriage but it's never been something I've been opposed to. It's just something I never really thought about."

She paused.

"But when I look at you, marriage becomes something I want and it's an unfamiliar feeling."

"I want to marry you, Chloe"

Beca's eyes conveyed a sincerity that was unnecessary, Chloe trusted her.

"I had to go over to Aubrey and Stacie's the other day," Beca said. "Stacie invited me inside and we talked in the kitchen while she was making me a drink. Aubrey was in the other room and asked who had come in. Stacie shouted back that it was 'Chloe's wife'."

She was now beaming. "Even though she said it as a joke, I liked the sound of it. I liked the warm feeling it gave me."

"I want to be Chloe's wife."

In a flash, Chloe's lips were on Beca once again, her arms pushing the smaller girl more firmly against her, smothering her with love. Beca's moan came out a second later and Chloe felt her weight shift as the brunette's legs weakened a little, allowing the older girl to hold her.

A hand ran down along the curve of Beca's back, gently caressing her before slipping underneath her shirt and trailing the bare skin underneath. As Chloe reached the bra clasp, she broke the kiss and pulled back.

"Not here, Chlo," Beca said smiling.

Chloe chuckled, resting her head on Beca's shoulder.

"I love you so much, Beca," she whispered.

* * *

A few months later, Beca proposed.

On a cold morning at the start of winter, the pair of them were strolling through the park once again, two cups of hot tea with them. They went to Chloe's favorite tree, one of the few that still had green leaves on it at this time of the year.

Under that tree, Beca took out the engagement ring. It was a silver band with a sliver of green going around the outside. As its centerpiece, a small ruby. Her attempt to get down on one knee were stopped as Chloe had clearly realized what she was doing.

The redhead had stopped her, pulling Beca into an embrace and whispering 'yes' against her neck and peppering kisses against her skin. Soon, Chloe's words had started cracking as tears escaped her eyes.

The two of them stayed under that tree for a while, Beca's lips only allowed freedom to collect air, before being slowly captured by the other's.

It was later that night, when Chloe had fallen asleep that the brunette felt it all rushing up to meet her. A whimper escaped as she looked at her fiance calmly resting next to her. She began wiping at her eyes when she realized she was going to cry. A hand reached out to stop her, Chloe had awoken, initial concern shifting to comfort and a loving smile.

Beca fell asleep crying against Chloe's chest that night.

Overwhelmed.

* * *

**Sunday - December 9th**

Aubrey felt the couch shift as Beca sat down next to her. Her eyes were still focussed on the screen and her fingers were moving the control sticks and pressing the buttons like before but she acknowledged the other girl.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey yourself," Beca replied. "Can I join this one?"

"Sure."

Aubrey paused the game and set it up to allow Beca to play. This had become a common occurrence for them. The two of them and their respective partners would get together at indeterminate times at least a couple of times a month and do something together. Most involved going to one of their homes for dinner.

Tonight, they were at Aubrey and Stacie's apartment. Dinner was usually prepared by Stacie with Chloe's assistance. Since they began doing this around three years ago, Beca and Aubrey have been spending time together.

Aubrey liked Beca and she got the sense that the brunette liked her back. After some initial awkwardness, they had become comfortable with each other.

The blonde was a gamer, something the other three realized after a few weeks spent in her company. Growing up as an only child with an inattentive father meant that she had to keep herself entertained from time to time and videogames had been the solution.

The first night they had dinner, Beca had joined her on the couch and watched. It was something Stacie did as well, usually when she was playing something with a story. Her girlfriend would comment and give her advice and it became a time for bonding for the two of them.

Beca had asked if she could join in. At the time, Aubrey had been playing a single player game but was happy to switch it out so the brunette could join. Beca had been surprisingly competent. Initially, all words exchanged between them were regarding the game but as they fell into a comfortable rhythm, they found themselves just talking about things in general.

Like they were friends.

So much so that they failed to notice that the kitchen had gone completely quiet and two faces were observing them from behind.

After that first night, Aubrey began looking forward to their dinners. She liked spending time with Beca.

New games were introduced to Beca each week. The other girl wasn't well versed in the medium.

She didn't have to do that for long. Beca picked things up quickly and became knowledgeable in a few weeks. It got to the point where she asked if Aubrey had purchased a game she had seen online and wished to come over and play together.

By the time Beca's birthday rolled around, Aubrey had convinced Stacie to purchase a console as a gift.

Each dinner night would start with the two of them on the couch, playing together and talking. The first hour or so would be discussion regarding a new game or something they had played recently before things switched over to just talk of their jobs, their significant other amongst other things. They would joke, tease and make each other laugh.

Like they were friends.

Tonight was no different. Beca had greeted Stacie and plopped down next to the blonde right afterwards.

"How is it?" she asked.

"Story's trash but the actual gameplay is pretty fun."

"Difficulty?"

"I've got it on Veteran which is the highest."

The groan from Beca was immediate.

"What?" Aubrey asked, perplexed by the response.

"Whenever we play something hard, you always end up being super stressed out. It can't be good for you."

Despite the complaint, Beca had loaded into the game and was already assisting her to take out enemies.

"I'll be fine."

Beca chuckled. "I would like you to think back all the way to last month."

Last month.

Aubrey had gotten so frustrated at the game they were playing that her shouting had reached the kitchen. A very angry Stacie arrived shortly afterwards to scold her. That would be bad enough if it wasn't for the few words she also had with Beca about being disappointed that she would allow Aubrey to get to such a stage.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"It was hard to take Stacie seriously with Chloe making faces behind her, trying to get me to laugh," Beca said. "I agree with her though, you should take things easy. You have a tendency to overexert yourself in every aspect of your life and this probably shouldn't be one of them."

Aubrey turned and smiled. "I didn't know I was playing with such a softy." Seconds later, she turned back to the screen to find her character dead, riddled with bullets thanks to Beca. "That's just immature."

The brunette just grinned at her.

They continued to play through the game with a significant drop in the amount of friendly fire. The conversation switched to talk of the actual game and to a state of cohesion with the screen. Beca would ask her about how work was going from time to time and Aubrey would pepper in questions about the wedding planning.

About an hour later, a shout from the kitchen alerted them to the completion of their dinner.

The blonde paused the game and made an attempt to get up.

"Bree?" Beca said. She was looking at her, looking somewhat nervous.

"What's up, Beca?"

"I was wondering if, uhm, you'd like to be my maid of honor."

Shocked would be underselling what Aubrey was feeling. "Me?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah."

"I'm flattered but surely you could find someone you're closer to?" She tried to not make it sound harsh but she was still flabbergasted by the request.

"Not anyone I'd want at the wedding."

"Did Chloe put you up to this?"

Beca pretended to look hurt. "How dare you even accuse me or her of something like that?!" she said. "For the record, she doesn't even know I'm asking you."

Aubrey leaned back on the couch, contemplating the request, all the while expecting it to be some kind of joke.

"Hey." Beca's voice returned her attention to the conversation. "I asked you because I consider you a friend, a true one. I don't hang out with you because Chloe is friends with Stacie, I hang out with you because I like your company. We're not as close as we could be and that's because we're both awkward and reserved but even the little I do know about you makes me want to get to know you better."

The blonde smiled, a little lost for words. The two of them were not people who just dumped out their feelings easily so it meant a lot for Beca to say that to her, especially considering how sweet and positive it was.

"I like hanging out with you too."

The other girl wasn't making eye contact but her lips curved into a smile. "Well?" She asked.

"I'd love to be your maid of honor," Aubrey replied.

The brunette looked hesitant, unsure of how to end their little moment of sincerity. Going against her protocols, Aubrey went with instinct and moved closer to Beca before wrapping her arms around the smaller girl in an embrace.

It clearly took a moment for the oddness of the gesture to process in Beca's brain but her arms came around Aubrey shortly afterwards and her head rested on the taller girl's shoulder.

While the beginning felt like two robots discovering emotion, the two settled into it and Aubrey was hard pressed to say she disliked the hug, quite the opposite in fact.

"I think we're meant to jump up and down and squeal at this point," Beca commented.

"Don't ruin this," Aubrey replied, trying hard not to giggle.

"We should stop before those two come in here and make fun of us."

Beca let go a few seconds later and stood up.

"Hey, Beca?"

"Hmm."

"I'd like to get to know you better too."

* * *

The wedding took place a few months later.

It was a small event mostly comprised of members of Chloe's family, friends from both places of work and the odd guest or two that Beca invited. The brunette wasn't particularly close with her extended family but she invited her grandfather and grandmother on her mother's side. While it was brief, she remembered having a good relationship with her grandparents on her father's side as well. There was just no way to contact them and she wasn't particularly interested in the potential of her father coming back into her life.

The ceremony itself was far shorter than she had expected. There were obvious nerves as she waited for Chloe at the end of the aisle, reiterating her vows in her head as they went in through one part of the brain before tumbling out of the other.

Chloe had insisted on the two of them writing their own vows and Beca suspected that it was a plot to get more writing out of her.

There was a moment right after they shared their vows, while the wedding officiant said the last few words before they were officially married, that would forever be imprinted in Beca's mind.

It was of Chloe in her wedding dress. She had chosen a long sleeved dress that extended down to her wrists. The fabric from the shoulders to the hands was made of the thinner material, showing the shade of her skin through the transparency. It was the first time Beca had seen the dress and she had been floored by how beautiful Chloe looked in it.

It wasn't the dress that preserved the image for Beca.

It was Chloe's smile and the realization that she was looking at the person who she was looking at the person she would spending the rest of her life with. She couldn't believe it was happening, the fact that her peripheral vision was blurred made it feel like a dream. In a matter of seconds, Chloe would be her wife.

And those seconds passed and Chloe leaned in and kissed her.

Beca linked her hand with Chloe's, afraid that when the kiss ended and she opened her eyes, the redhead would be gone.

When she did open them again, she counted herself to be the luckiest woman on earth.

It must have been a sentiment Chloe shared with her. The big change in their relationship status caused a shift their interactions. Somehow, touching became even more common. It was like the two of them were taking time out of their day just to make sure the other one was still there. Beca suspected it would die down as they became more comfortable with the idea of being married in their heads but there was a side of her that felt like it may never disappear.

And she didn't want it to.

Because their subconscious movements always brought them to the other, who was always there to accommodate.

Despite being very careful with their finances and not overspending on their wedding, something they both agreed to, they still had to wait a good year before they were in a position to look for a house.

Beca wasn't picky. She just wanted something suburban with a nice green lawn.

Chloe didn't seem to mind that she didn't have an opinion about houses. They still went to different properties together and while she gave her opinion of each one, Beca listened.

Most of the places they looked at were pretty nice and had ticked Beca's small list of requirements. Even Chloe was happy with some of them for a practical standpoint.

Her reason for the rejection of these places were that they didn't feel right and even though that was such a vague reason, Beca couldn't disagree.

To Chloe, it clearly was a feeling thing. She rejected properties regardless of size, price and any measurable factor.

They did find a house eventually. One that they both loved.

* * *

**Wednesday - March 10th**

Beca stood in front of the house as the moving truck backed out of the driveway and disappeared down the road. Chloe stepped out their car and joined her as they looked at their new abode.

The house was fronted by a lush green lawn. The grass was a little overgrown on the edges and there was one or two wildflowers but they could be sorted out with a bit of work. The path leading to the home consisted of pebbles with much large stepping stones in the middle.

The front door was at the center with two large bay windows on either side. To the right of the main building was an attached garage. From the front, they could see two of the bedroom windows. The whole place was painted in a mix of light browns and pale yellows with a dark grey roof. The afternoon sun combined with the significant lack of noise made the whole place feel incredibly peaceful.

She linked her hand with the brunette's.

"Come on, let's go inside," she said.

Beca turned and placed her right arm across Chloe's back. The other girl looked at her in confusion.

"What are you doing?"

Chloe's question turned into a shriek as she was lifted into Beca's arms. Almost immediately, the redhead put her own arms around the smaller girl for support.

"You could have told me you were going to do that," Chloe said, pouting.

Beca just smiled. "I'm not going to drop you, I've done this before, remember."

"I'm surprised you can even lift me."

The smile turned into a grin. "You are pretty heavy."

"I'm going to jump out of your arms and kill you if you continue down this line."

Beca answered with a kiss, silencing her.

Once they reached the front door, Chloe took out her key and unlocked the door. Upon entering, she was placed on the ground. Beca didn't even appear to have broken a sweat.

Directly in front of them was the staircase leading to the second floor. The hallway led them into the kitchen area and to their left was the large living room. The bay windows streamed in the orange sun lighting up the room. They had yet to unpack so there were boxes scattered around the whole place.

"I'm exhausted," Chloe said.

"Me too," Beca replied. "I think we should just do the bare minimum today and get to work on properly unpacking tomorrow."

"Good idea. I'll go make our bed."

"I'll get the tv set up, we can order something to eat for tonight."

Chloe pecked Beca on the cheek and made her way upstairs.

Their bedroom, the largest room on the second floor, stretched from the front of the house to the back. There were two large windows on either side where they could see the front and back lawns. It also meant the room was bathed in the colours of the sunset.

Like all the other rooms, it was mostly empty, consisting of boxes and their bed but Chloe could already picture the way the room looked and all the things the two of them would get up to in there.

There would be a desk for Beca to set up her music equipment with enough room for Chloe to sit next to her. The redhead would work on her writing and occasionally listen to Beca's recordings.

Snapping herself out of the daydream, she made her way to one of the boxes and began pulling out sheets and pillows. The bed was larger than the one in their apartment, not that the extra real-estate was needed. Although, the possibilities for their spaceship were now improved.

She made short work of the bed and decided to go look for Beca.

As she was making her way down the hallway to the staircase, she passed the other bedroom on the second floor.

It was currently empty, there weren't even any boxes in the room. Just a fine layering of dust on the ground, visible as it kicked up into the beams of light.

She stepped inside and looked around, not really knowing why.

From here, she could see the thick tree in the back garden, its branches stretching towards the house and rubbing gently against it.

* * *

Two spoons of sugar were dropped into the second cup and swirled around. Beca had already set up the television and proceeded to make the pair of them something to drink. Chloe was taking a lot longer than she had expected to make their bed but the redhead was prone to distraction.

She took the cups and made her way up the stairs in search of her wife.

No noise could be heard upstairs, only the sound of Beca's footsteps against the wooden staircase.

The bedroom was at the end of the hallway and the brunette was about to walk towards it when something caught her attention from the other bedroom.

It was Chloe, sat against the back wall, her legs tucked against with her arms around them. She was staring out the window and didn't seem to completely aware of her surrounding, clearly not knowing that Beca was standing close by and looking at her.

"Chloe?" she called out.

The other girl turned sharply to face her. "Oh, hey Beca. I didn't notice you there." There was something different about her from before. She still looked exhausted but a worried look had replaced the joy in her eyes. It only lasted a second before she was smiling again but at this point, Beca couldn't be fooled by the seamless switch.

She moved and sat down next to Chloe, handing her the hot drink. She took a second to allow the redhead to settle against her before asking any questions.

"What're you thinking about?"

Chloe took a second to answer. "This room is empty."

"Uhumm."

She turned to face Beca. "I'm a little frightened at the prospect of having to fill this room."

"We have no reason to rush, Chlo."

Chloe took her hand and squeezed it. "I want to have kids with you, Beca. Don't think for a second that I don't."

Beca pulled the girl onto her lap. Chloe pressed herself against the brunette's chest quickly adjusting herself to their familiar position. A hand ran along her cheek before a kiss was shared.

"You're stuck with me no matter what."

Chloe tucked herself into the crook of Beca's neck. The other girl began moving her hand in soothing circles around her back.

"I'm worried I won't be able to handle it."

Beca lifted Chloe's face by her chin. "You're going to make a wonderful mother, Chloe."

"So are you, Beca. I can't do this without you, I don't want to do this without you."

She pulled her wife closer into another kiss. Her hands wandered down to Chloe's waist, cocooning them together. She could feel tears escape the redhead's eyes and enter into their kiss. Slowly, Chloe's wrapped her arms around Beca's neck.

_I want to be close to you when you need support and run to you when things become difficult._

_I want to take care of you._

_I want you to let me take care of you..._

Chloe pulled away, the beginnings of a smile on her face. She took a sip of her drink before resting against Beca's chest once again.

"I'm glad you exist, Beca."

The two of them stayed like that for a while, the brunette occasionally pressing kisses to the other girl's forehead. They talked sporadically, letting themselves enjoy the moment of respite with the person they loved. Tomorrow would be a busy day and even though they would spend most of that time together, they savoured every second spent together.

Eventually, Beca watched as the exhaustion and tears took their toll on Chloe as the older girl fell asleep against her.

Beca didn't feel like moving just yet, perfectly happy to fall asleep where she was.

"I'm glad you exist too, Chlo"

* * *

**Saturday - April 10th**

Beca awoke to find a lack of a warm presence next to her. It was disturbing after being familiar with it for so long in the morning. Reflexively, she reached out to find her bedmate and continued reaching before giving up hope on contact with Chloe.

Upon this realization, she opened her eyes to confirm the lack of the redhead in her bed. This was an uncommon occurrence but not a cause for panic. It was around nine o'clock. Removing herself from the bed, she made her way downstairs to find her wife and to find out why the other woman had gotten up before her on a weekend.

She found Chloe standing next to the window on the side of the house, looking out towards the next house. There was a cup of tea in her hand and she was still in her pyjamas.

Beca turned the kettle on before making her way over to the other girl.

"What are you doing up so early?" She asked.

Chloe turned to look at her. "Don't know, just kinda woke up," she replied. Her gaze returned to the window. "New neighbours must have moved in, the for-sale sign is missing."

With that, she took her cup back to the sink and informed Beca that she was going back to bed for a little longer. The brunette said she would join her shortly.

As Beca began to sip her tea, she looked back out of the window. The door to the neighbor's house opened and a blonde woman stepped out for a brief moment before stepping back in. She only managed to catch a glimpse of the woman, dressed in thick, dark blue dressing gown.

Despite the short time that she got to see her, obscured by the fence, the door, the dressing gown, her position and the direction she was facing, Beca couldn't shake the familiarity with aspects of the woman.

_It couldn't be..._

She tried to remove the thought out her head, slowly finishing the contents of her cup and hoping to shift her thoughts from their current route.

Unfortunately, once the cup was empty, her curiosity and the nagging feeling got the better of her.

_I should probably introduce myself to the neighbours now and it'll clear my head._

She put on a pair of flip-flops and took the short walk to their neighbour's house, parts of her mind still doubting what she saw earlier.

The house was very similar to her own. The color was a light pink and the whole house was flipped along the vertical axis compared to the other.

She approached the door and knocked.

A short few seconds later, the door opened to reveal the blonde woman, still dressed in her dressing gown and holding a mug of her own.

It took almost no time for Beca to recognize the person. The woman's face, in return, shifted from half-awake and a tad irritated to one of confusion but more importantly, recognition.

"Beca?!" Aubrey said. "What are you doing here?"

Given the situation, Beca found it audacious that the other girl would ask such a question.

"Me?! What are  **you**  doing here?"

"Stacie and I  **live**  here thank you very much. We moved in around a week ago," Aubrey replied. "Now do you want to tell me what you are doing in front of our house in your pyjamas?"

The answer she gave was in a tone that indicated that her moving to the house next to their own made perfect sense. Aubrey and Stacie had gotten married close to three months after Beca and Chloe had. They had been hoping to get married before but new work scheduling had gotten in the way. They were also set to purchase a home around the same time as the other two as well.

Taking a second to process the information, Beca answered by first pointing to her house. "I live there. And have been doing so for about a month at this point."

There was a good reason that Aubrey didn't know the location of the brunette's home. She hadn't been told. Chloe had requested that they keep their new address a secret for a few weeks so they could get settled and enjoy some time together before being inundated by family and friends.

Aubrey looked at the house, then back to Beca, her eyes somewhat wide in disbelief. "You're joking."

Not an irrational response. The chances that Aubrey and Stacie would purchase a house right next to their own were slim to none.

"Not even slightly. I knew you guys were looking for a house. Didn't know you had picked one and already moved in."

"We decided to keep the address to ourselves for a bit," Aubrey said.

"We did the same thing."

Silence fell upon them. Beca ran her hands through her hair. Neither seemed to know what to do with the information. It wasn't a cause for alarm, the circumstances just seemed strange.

"Did we know nothing about where the other was moving?" the blonde asked.

"I mean, we were super busy with the move and organising things that we pretty much had no contact with other people for a while. Sorry about that by the way. We missed you guys."

Aubrey smiled. "It's okay, we weren't all that available either."

"You're okay with this?" Beca asked.

The two of them had become much closer after their heart to heart. Their friendship rivaled that of Chloe and Stacie's. They were not particularly good at displaying it outwardly but there was a comfortable acceptance of each other that those not looking closely could easily miss. Every time they attempted a moment of vulnerability, it came out as awkward. It didn't matter to them because it was always well intentioned and done in privacy. Especially after teasing from the other two.

"Of course! This is a little crazy but pleasantly so," Aubrey said, giving Beca a quick hug. She turned back into the house and called out. "Stacie, get down here! You're not going to believe this."

Light footsteps from the staircase announced the arrival of the other brunette. She rubbed her eyes as she descended, dressed in a light red nightgown. She let out a yawn before looking at Beca and smiling widely.

"Hey, Becs," she shouted.

Once she reached her wife, she delivered a quick peck on the cheek before making her way out of the doorway and down the street. The other two watched as she knocked on Beca's door, which opened a few seconds later, and she stepped in.

Beca looked at Aubrey who just shrugged.

"Let's go see what that was about," she suggested.

Beca was somewhat sceptical of her current reality. Given the situation, she might as well be dreaming considering the things that have happened this morning. Aubrey and Stacie had moved next door and Stacie had just walked into her home as though it was an everyday occurrence. Oddly, the strangest part of the day was the fact that Chloe woke up before her. That in and of itself was considerably damning evidence that she was dreaming.

She was the first to step in. She could hear sounds coming from the kitchen.

Moving around the corner into the living room, the sight that greeted the two from the kitchen was Stacie and Chloe preparing food. Breakfast, Beca presumed. The redhead was still dressed in her pyjamas cracking eggs into a bowl, a whisk placed next to them. Stacie, on the other hand, was standing over a pan and the smell of bacon wafted through the air.

Upon entering their eye line, Chloe greeted them.

"Hey, Bree," she said casually before cracking an egg into a bowl.

"Hey, Chloe," Aubrey replied, albeit slowly in a bewildered way.

"What are you two doing?" Beca asked.

"Cooking," they said.

As Beca looked between Chloe and Stacie, something occurred to her.

"Aubrey," she said, getting the blonde's attention. "Whose idea was it to not tell anyone else about your new address?"

"Stacie's."

"And did she give some cute speech about wanting to have the house to yourselves for a while?"

By now, the pair cooking were holding back grins as the explanation for the recent events dawned on Aubrey.

"Do you two have anything to share?" Beca asked.

"Nope," Stacie said, her back turned.

"Chloe, what about you?"

The redhead looked up from the bowl. "How do you want your eggs?" she asked.

"Did you know that these two would be moving in next door?"

"Maybe," she replied sheepishly.

"How long did you know?"

The look of guilt in Chloe's face was almost hidden by the smirk and the pride at her deception.

"Since before we bought the house."

Beca went wide eyed.

"What?!" she said in unison with Aubrey.

The brunette was impressed to say the least. The secret had been kept for a couple of months at this point. She was still confused as to why they kept it a secret, the reason for doing it in the first place was somewhat obvious.

"Did you guys plan this?" the blonde asked.

Stacie turned around at this point, looking like a puppy who had been caught doing something bad. "Sort of," she said.

"Sort of?"

It was clear to Beca that both she and Aubrey were not mad at their spouses or the current situation, it was just confusion. Confusion which was fueling the smiles and joy of the other two. She concluded that they probably achieved their goal, whatever it may have been.

Chloe intervened to answer the question.

"It was just before you and I put in an offer for the house," she said, motioning at Beca. "You guys didn't know this but I decided to show Stacie the house. I hadn't planned on hiding that from you but that's sort of where our plan began."

"Stacie ended up liking the neighborhood in general and we decided to have a look at the house next door, which was also for sale, just for fun. On the way back, she told me she loved the house and she decided to see if she could get Bree to like it as well."

"Wait," Aubrey said. "Stace, you were incredibly critical of the house and I had to convince you that it was a good option. The only reason I stuck with it was because you seemed to change your mind suddenly."

Said girl stopped what she was doing and approached her wife, planting a kiss on her lips.

"I wasn't going to force you to live here, Bree. I wanted to make sure you loved it as much as I did."

The blonde wrapped her arms around Stacie and pulled her closer.

"Why keep it a secret?"

Chloe continued her explanation. "We wanted to see how long it would take you two to figure it out. Can't believe it took you guys a full week and change."

"You two don't mind, do you?" Stacie asked, the question coming from both her and Chloe.

"No, not at all," Beca replied.

"Yeah, we talked about this outside already," Aubrey added.

"We liked the idea of living on the same street as our friends, like we were still children," Chloe said. "Also, we were a little worried that the distance would mean we would drift apart. The thought of only seeing the two of you," she looked towards Aubrey and Stacie, "only a few times a year was a little depressing."

Beca thought the fear was irrational. The four of them were good friends and while distance would be a barrier to their friendship, it was one they could overcome. Still, she couldn't argue that irrationality, in this case, had led them to a better circumstance. Besides, the fear of drifting apart was something she held, despite her rationality telling her otherwise.

"The looks on your faces when you walked in the kitchen were priceless," Stacie said, giggling. Chloe joined in a second later.

Beca looked at Aubrey and shrugged. The other girl sent a small smile her way. They had both been fooled rather effectively but there wasn't any bitterness towards their companions.

Once the laughing died down. Aubrey spoke.

"I'm glad you did it."

"Yeah, it was a good idea," Beca concluded.

Chloe moved towards Beca and kissed her cheek.

"You guys wait in the living room while we make breakfast," she said.

"Why?" Beca asked.

"Think of it as an apology."

With that, the two of them were forced rather harshly out of the room. They sat down on the couch and Beca flicked on the television. She allowed her sleepy mind to catch up with events of the morning and the implications that they brought forth.

This was good. There was something about this that felt like a fairytale, one with an almost unbelievably positive ending.

"We'll get them back for this, you know," Aubrey said, interrupting Beca's thoughts.

"Oh, I know," the other girl replied.

The pair of them spend the next few minutes catching up and they could hear the same thing happening from the kitchen. Shortly afterwards, all four of them were situated on the couch and the nearby chair watching the screen and half paying attention to what was happening on it.

By midday, they reluctantly separated, having to admit that staying in their pyjamas late into the day was perhaps going too far.

* * *

**Sunday - April 11th**

For Beca, waking up had become a process. The years spent together had caused Chloe to have an involuntary reaction when the brunette attempted to leave the bed.

Beca would watch Chloe closely and make sure she was asleep before trying to get out of bed. It didn't matter in the end, the redhead would always sense her motion no matter how deep her slumber was and cling onto her. The response was usually coupled with a whiny cooing noise reflecting her reluctance.

Beca found it adorable.

On some mornings, she would purposely get up earlier than she had planned to, just to witness the reaction. The moment she tried to leave, she would get pulled back under the covers immediately.

It also had the effect of getting Chloe to a state of awareness. Talking early in the morning, before the two of them had to do anything, had become one of Beca's favorite things. Their moods were mellow and they spoke without a worry, oddly unafraid of being incoherent and just letting their thoughts tumble out.

Today was no different.

She pretended to get up, moving her legs from out of the covers and towards the floor.

On cue, Chloe's arms came up around her waist and held her there. Beca smiled to herself.

"We can get up in an hour or so," Chloe said sleepily. "But you have to cuddle me till then."

The other girl was more than happy to oblige, wrapping her arms around the redhead. Chloe snuggled into her and let out a yawn, blinking her eyes several times.

"What do you have planned for today," she asked.

"Nothing much, the label wants me to sort some stuff about our artists but that shouldn't take too long." Beca ran her hand through Chloe's hair. "I might cut the grass and pull out some of the weeds from the flowerbeds."

"I'd love to see you get obsessed with gardening," Chloe said with a giggle.

"Not going to happen. What about you?"

"Oh, for today. I don't know. I've got some ideas I need to put down into actual words for my book."

"We could do something together later in the day then."

"Sure."

It was around nine in the morning and the sun was having an adverse effect on their eyes. They would only stay half-open, still adjusting to the morning light.

"I'm worried about our fence," Beca said.

"The one separating our house from Aubrey and Stacie?"

"Yeah."

Chloe looked confused. "How come?"

"Well, once we have kids and they also have kids, we're going to fix a lot of holes and damages to it."

She smiled and Beca could understand why. The image of their potential children wreaking havoc on their houses sounded adorable, especially considering the fact that they didn't have to deal with it yet.

"I'm going to spoil their kid so that they love me more."

Beca chuckled. "That's sinister. I have a feeling they might be thinking the same thing. Next thing you'll know, our kid will just live with them."

The other girl strengthened her grip and frowned at her. "You can't let them take our children, Beca. Promise me," Chloe said, fake worry laced in every word.

Beca kissed her forehead. "I promise."

The pair talked lackadaisically about other things. Chloe spoke about her book, verbalizing her ideas and even working out plot points in real time. Beca was happy to listen and pop in some ideas of her own. She loved listening to Chloe's thought process regarding her writing.

The hour passed alarmingly quickly, the clock reading just a few minutes past ten. Chloe looked at the clock and groaned before pushing herself against the mattress to get up.

"I guess the responsible thing to do is wake up," Chloe said.

Beca took a hold of the redhead's wrist, holding her on the bed. With her other hand, she reached over and knocked the alarm clock from the nightstand before pulling Chloe back into her arms.

"We're in no rush," Beca said.

Chloe giggled, coming back into the safety of their bed.

Over the course of the next few minutes, Beca felt Chloe's breath against her as her body began to relax once again. Eventually, her eyes closed and she looked at peace once again.

It wasn't long before she succumbed to it herself, falling asleep in Chloe's arms.

Despite finding her soulmate, moving into a house together, working on something she actually loved and thinking about having children, Beca didn't feel like her life was slowing down or coming close to completion. There were plenty more obstacles in their way and with Chloe, she felt like they could go further than their dreams.

Yet, at the same time, moments like this morning reminded her that life moved slowly. It was almost a perfect combination. Their lives were evolving at a rapid rate yet they never felt it. Time together was almost like a bubble, slower than the rest of the world. Time to spend on what was important.

She would forever be thankful for having the chance to experience life with Chloe.

_I'm Glad You Exist._


End file.
